Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
[Preprint]. 2025 Jun 12:2025.06.12.25329490.
doi: 10.1101/2025.06.12.25329490.

Striatal Dopamine and Skeletal Muscle Energy Metabolism in Older Adults

Affiliations

Striatal Dopamine and Skeletal Muscle Energy Metabolism in Older Adults

Caterina Rosano et al. medRxiv. .

Abstract

Dopamine (DA) in the central nervous system is considered a master regulator of mobility performance and vigor, but its mechanistic relationship with skeletal muscle energetics is unclear. We tested the cross-sectional association of striatal DA and skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in 146 older adults participating in the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (75.4 years old, 54% women). Striatal DA was measured using (+)-a-[11C] dihydrotetrabenazine (DTBZ) PET imaging for the limbic, sensorimotor, and executive control subregions. Mitochondrial capacity to produce ATP (ATPmax, mM ATP/s) was measured in vivo using 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy after repeated voluntary muscle contractions. Ex-vivo respirometry assays from biopsies of resting muscle captured complementary aspects of mitochondrial function under optimal conditions. In multivariable linear regression models, [11C]DTBZ in the limbic striatum, but not other subregions, was positively associated with greater ATPmax in vivo, independent of demographics, muscle volume, leg power, white matter hyperintensities, gray matter atrophy, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and diabetes (β = 0.275, standard error 0.108, p=0.019). [11C]DTBZ was not associated with the ex-vivo mitochondrial respiration markers (p>0.2). The role of striatal limbic DA and the energetic capacity of skeletal muscles should be further investigated in older adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Statement: All authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

References

    1. Shadmehr R, Ahmed AA. Precis of Vigor: Neuroeconomics of Movement Control. Behav Brain Sci. Dec 2 2020;44:e123. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X20000667 - DOI - PubMed
    1. King M, van Breda K, Rauch LH, Brooks SJ, Stein DJ, Ipser J. Methylphenidate alters brain connectivity after enhanced physical performance. Brain research. Jan 15 2018;1679:26–32. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2017.10.026 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Roelands B, Hasegawa H, Watson P, et al. The effects of acute dopamine reuptake inhibition on performance. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. May 2008;40(5):879–85. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181659c4d - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zheng X, Hasegawa H. Central dopaminergic neurotransmission plays an important role in thermoregulation and performance during endurance exercise. European journal of sport science. Oct 2016;16(7):818–28. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2015.1111938 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Beeler JA, Frazier CR, Zhuang X. Putting desire on a budget: dopamine and energy expenditure, reconciling reward and resources. Frontiers in integrative neuroscience. 2012;6:49. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2012.00049 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources