MUSCLE MEMORY :
In everyday speech, the phrase "muscle memory" refers to the type of embodied subconscious recall that
subtly facilitates us in carrying out different motor skills that we have something which acquired through
habituation, either through explicit, deliberate training or simply as a result of repeated prior experience
leading to informal, inadvertent, or sometimes unconscious learning. Such memory is frequently referred
in scientific terminology as "motor memory" or "procedural memory" since it allows us to carry out
different motor tasks . Some paradigmatic performance of muscle-motor tasks includes walking, tying
shoes, riding Bike, swimming , driving a bus ,or playing guitar. (1) "Muscle memory," which is the ability of
muscle fibres to grow more effectively during retraining, may be facilitated by this "myonuclear
permanence." (2) This idea may have applications in the fields of sports and medicine, for example, in
helping top athletes recover from intense competitions and encouraging older adults to gain muscle more
quickly. (3) . The most current research examining the "cellular" and "epigenetic" processes underlying
skeletal muscle memory, and there is new evidence suggesting the potential synergy between these
hypotheses. Cellular muscle memory is the capacity of muscle cells to recall and adapt to previous
exercise. There is evidence that this memory is caused by changes in the structure and function of cells in
muscles, including increased levels of protein synthesis and mitochondrial biogenesis. (4) Changes in gene
expression resulting from previous exercise are referred to as "epigenetic muscle memory". These changes
are believed to be brought about by modifications to DNA and histone proteins, which can change the
accessibility of genes to transcription factors. Studies reveal that these epigenetic changes could persist for
a few weeks or even months after physical activity stops, contributing to long-term muscle changes.(5)
WHAT IS THE DURATION OF MUSCLE MEMORY?
The initial theory of a constant "myonuclear domain" postulated myonuclei are gained during the
growth of muscle fibres and lost during atrophy. (6)) Conversely, "muscle memory theory" states that
myonuclei in skeletal muscle fibre are never lost, which causes a decrease in the size while muscle atrophy.
(7)
Years pass before muscle memory fades. The memory duration in skeletal muscle is certainly 15% of an
individual's lifespan (roughly 80 years) . In other words, hypertrophic occurred a minimum of 12 years
after exercise [Link] muscle memory may last for up to 30% of an average person's life, or
roughly 25 years. (8)
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1997.
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Physiol. 2018;596(18):4289-4290.
3) Booth FW, Thomason DB. Molecular and cellular adaptation of muscle in response to exercise:
perspectives of various models. Physiol Rev. 1991;71(2):541-585.
4) Snijders T, et al. "Cellular and molecular pathways underlying muscle memory." J Appl Physiol. 2016;
120(7): 876-888.
5) Seaborne RA, et al. "Epigenetic changes are associated with skeletal muscle hypertrophy following
resistance training." J Appl Physiol. 2018; 126(4): 1443-1456.
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1999;22(10):1350-1360.
7)Gundersen K, Bruusgaard JC. Nuclear domains during muscle atrophy: nuclei lost or paradigm lost? J
Physiol. 2008;586(11):2675-2681.
8)Bergmann O, Zdunek S, Felker A, Salehpour M, Alkass K, et al. (2015) Dynamics of Cell Generation and
Turnover in the Human Heart. Cell 161:1566-1575.
