title: Diffusion property differences of the lower leg musculature between athletes and non-athletes using 1.5T MRI.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the differences in diffusion properties--namely fractional anisotropy (FA), three eigenvalues of the diffusion tensor (λ1, λ2, and λ3), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)--between athletically-trained and untrained lower leg musculature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve athletes (Group A) and 11 non-athletes (Group B) were recruited. All were females in their 20s. We scanned diffusion tensor images of both calves and compared FA, the three eigenvalues, and ADC in the gastrocnemius medialis, gastrocnemius lateralis, soleus (SOL), and anterior tibialis muscles between Groups A and B, and between the right and left sides, using two-factor fractional ANOVA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all muscles of bilateral calves, all three eigenvalues and ADC were lower in Group A than in Group B, with statistically significant differences in all muscles for λ1, λ2, and λ3 and ADC, with a P value of <0.01. Moreover, statistical differences were also found between right and left for λ1, λ2, and λ3 (P < 0.05), and ADC (P < 0.01) of the SOL muscle. FA showed no statistically significant differences in any muscles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that training causes a decrease of the three eigenvalues and ADC, which we hypothesize is due to an increase of density of myofilaments in the intracellular space, and deformation of the cell induced by enlargement of extracellular components.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba Hospital, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. yokamoto@md.tsukuba.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kujiraoka
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nasu
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minami
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007866:Leg; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D009210:Myofibrils / Q000648:ultrastructure; D055815:Young Adult
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