Finding May Solve Riddle of Fatigue in Muscles

[mhosea]

Interesting article.

Finding May Solve Riddle of Fatigue in Muscles

from the New York Times (Registration Required)

One of the great unanswered questions in physiology is why muscles get
tired. The experience is universal, common to creatures that have muscles,
but the answer has been elusive until now.

Scientists at Columbia say they have not only come up with an answer, but
have also devised, for mice, an experimental drug that can revive the
animals and let them keep running long after they would normally flop down
in exhaustion.

For decades, muscle fatigue had been largely ignored or misunderstood.
Leading physiology textbooks did not even try to offer a mechanism, said
Dr. Andrew Marks, principal investigator of the new study. A popular
theory, that muscles become tired because they release lactic acid, was
discredited not long ago.

To read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/healt ... 2musc.html

Or: http://tinyurl.com/2mmrrn