{
  "abstract": "Age-related skeletal muscle atrophy differs between upper and lower body muscles and may also differ between lower limb muscles, but these muscle-specific patterns remain poorly characterised. We acquired axial 3T magnetic resonance images from sex-balanced samples of thirty young (24+/-4 years) and thirty older adults (73+/-4 years). Muscle volume of seventeen lower limb muscles/compartments was quantified using manual segmentation and expressed as absolute volume, relative to body mass, and as a percentage of total muscle volume. Absolute muscle volume was lower in older adults in 13 out of 17 muscles compared to young, with substantial heterogeneity in the effect sizes (d=0.01-3.36). Age group * muscle interaction contrasts revealed muscle-specific age-related differences in volume. Three of the quadriceps muscles demonstrated greater age-related atrophy compared to several other muscles (e.g. vastus lateralis differing from 14 of the other 16 muscles; d[≥]1.54). Conversely, the anterior and deep posterior compartments of the shank and biceps femoris short head showed significantly smaller age-related atrophy than several other muscles. These interaction effects were exacerbated when expressed in relative terms. Consequently, three of four shank compartments, gluteus maximus and adductor magnus represented a greater proportion of total muscle volume in older adults, whereas the vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, rectus femoris, semitendinosus, gracilis, and iliopsoas contributed a smaller proportion in older adults. These findings highlight the variability in age-related leg muscle atrophy in a large mixed sex cohort, resulting in a redistribution of muscle volume in the lower limb.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "C. D. Connelly"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. P. Folland"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Piasecki"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Skarabot"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/96fdnpac7b9ap.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.15.751873",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.15.751873v1.full",
  "id": "96fdnpac7b9ap",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.15.751873v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "physiology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2737|Nutrition and Health in Aging"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214007835",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.15.751873v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-15",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/96fdnpac7b9ap.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:23:53Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.15.751873",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.15.751873v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "biorxiv:physiology",
      "subfield": "physiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The heterogeneity of age-related muscle atrophy of lower limb muscles",
  "title_text": "The heterogeneity of age-related muscle atrophy of lower limb muscles",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:23:53Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/96fdnpac7b9ap",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}