Maria Westerståhl

The increasing number of older people being disabled by aging threatens the sustainability of the health systems. Thus, there is an urgent need to counteract aging-induced disabling conditions as muscle wasting. The proposed project is based on longitudinal observations across the lifespan of adults in a cohort born in 1956/58 (SPAF-1958). This cohort has been followed from age 16 to 63 years using objective measures of physical performance, physical activity, and lifestyle variables at four time points, available and skeletal muscle biopsies (at 27 and 63 years) and blood samples (at ages 52 and 63 years). The SPAF-1958 cohort provides a unique opportunity to detect longitudinal changes, i.e., individual trajectories, thus elucidating the preclinical and clinical course of sarcopenia and revealing underlying factors at the individual level. In the proposed study, measurements will be repeated at age 67 years since it is reasonable to shorten the intervals between follow-ups as the effects of aging increase with time. A unique feature of the current study as individuals enter early-aging, is the combination of analyses of neurogenic components. This includes examination of motor and sensory nerve conduction, number of motor units combined with measurements of muscle mass and quality by MRI and muscle tissue morphology and gene expression from biopsies. The current study may also add information about biological aging biomarkers in blood and individual genetic makeup.