Senile Changes in the Laryngeal Musculature

Abstract

The larynx of old persons has frequently been examined. However, a perusal of the literature reveals that no two physicians agree in their findings as far as the muscles of this organ are concerned. Kofler 1 mentioned slight atrophy of the muscles, without giving further details, and Imhofer 2 found that the lipoid pigment usually situated around the nuclei of the sarcolemma increased in amount in old persons. Segre 3 found simple atrophy of the adductor and the abductor muscles, characterized by an increase of the nuclei of the sarcolemma and an increase in both the collagenous and the elastic fibers. This atrophy was least marked in the interarytenoid and the vocal muscles. In contrast, Imhofer 4 did not observe an increase in elastic fibers. The cricothyroid muscles showed hypertrophy in the cases of Segre,3 which was considered compensatory, because of the atrophy of the adductor muscles. Carnevale Ricci5 described essentially the same conditions as Segre3 except for the lack of compensatory hypertrophy of the cricothyroid muscles and, in addition, observed fatty degeneration of the laryngeal muscles.Because the changes found in the laryngeal muscles are not sufficient to explain the gross changes of the senile larynx and the characteristic

Aging histological changes in the cartilages of the cricoarytenoid joint

“…The yellow to brown colour of the aged cartilage can be due to the deposition of hematopoietic substances in the matrix 13 . Degenerative muscle changes in elderly larynges have been described previously 3 . A progressive reduction in the articular muscle mass was clearly noted in our specimens due to muscle fibers atrophy and to collagen fibers deposition between them.…”

Aging Thyroarytenoid and Limb Skeletal Muscle: Lessons in Contrast

“…Bach et al first identified a reduction in human TA muscle mass in 1941. 13 Since the time of their work, additional authors have confirmed this age-related TA atrophy in humans. 14,15,86 Attempts to define more specific morphological changes within the TA have, however, resulted in little agreement across studies.…”

“…Most notable among these changes are muscle atrophy, fiber loss, increased glycolitic metabolism, and increased mitochondrial abnormalities 10,[13][14][15]60,86,87 (Andrade and McMullen, unpublished data, 2006). In animal models, these modifications are of sufficient magnitude to alter the muscle's contractile properties toward a slower, weaker, and less fatigue-resistant profile.…”

Effect of aging on ultrasonic vocalizations and laryngeal sensorimotor neurons in rats

“…There are several potential underlying mechanisms for the vocalization changes that we observed. Degeneration may be occurring in the loose formation of the nucleus ambiguus, causing the peripheral effect of thyroarytenoid deterioration that has been shown with aging (Bach et al 1941; Honjo and Isshiki 1980; Shindo and Hanson 1990; Thomas et al 2008). There may also be neuronal loss in the motor cortex accounting for the loss of sensorimotor control of the vocal folds that may be affecting the quality of the USVs, and the motoneuron loss in the nucleus ambiguus may not be related to these fine sensorimotor deficits.…”