In a serendipitous discovery, UC San Diego researchers using cryo-EM technology captured the first visualizations of the 3-D structure of the muscle acetylcholine receptor in fetal and adult muscles.

The findings could have implications for robotics, prosthetics and energy efficient machines. John McGrath and José Alvarado with HillBot, a robot designed to test parameters of muscle strength and ...

At one point or another, we’ve all experienced the unexpected, intense pain of a muscle cramp. Muscle cramps, also known as muscle spasms or charley horses, are the involuntary contraction of muscle ...

The mechanism of skeletal muscle contraction is a process that relies on calcium signaling. However, the physiological role of calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) through the ryanodine receptor ...

Resistance, or weight training, is widely recommended in sports and rehabilitation as an effective exercise to increase muscular strength and size. This form of exercise involves applying resistance ...

Anyone who has had tight muscles or a muscle spasm knows how uncomfortable and limiting these experiences can be. But when you have spasticity, which causes tight muscles and uncontrollable ...

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy, affecting about 1 in 8,000 people. While it is well known for causing muscle weakness and stiffness, DM1 also ...

Muscles are made to move. Stretching and contraction stimulate biochemical pathways within muscle that maintain tissue health. When movement slows—when a broken limb is immobilized in a cast, for ...

Using powerful new visualization technologies, researchers have captured the first 3-D images of the structure of a key muscle receptor, providing new insights on how muscles develop across the animal ...