Aging muscles may be losing strength for a reason scientists missed

Scientists from the University of Missouri discovered that communication between nerves and muscles becomes less reliable with age, contributing to sarcopenia – the loss of muscle strength and function affecting nearly half of adults over 80 years old. The research team led by W. David Arnold identified the protein NaV1.4, whose lower levels with age are associated with this communication breakdown. Researchers found that partially blocking the protein ClC-1 improved aging muscles' ability to respond to nerve signals and increased muscle strength in an animal model. This discovery suggests that part of age-related weakness could potentially be treatable. Clinical trials with the experimental drug ignaseclant, which partially inhibits ClC-1, have already demonstrated improvements in muscle strength in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.