It is well known that hindlimb suspension (HS), a widely used model of disuse and hypogravity, leads to progressive atrophy of postural skeletal muscle [ 1, 5, 6].
Although sciatic neurectomy is a widely used model of disuse [61], it is known to induce some degree of physiological stress, although probably less than tail suspension, as well as reduced innervation of the neurectomized limb [62].
Lamarck's evolutionary synthesis was based on his belief that the degree of use or disuse of biological structures shaped evolution along with the inheritance of acquired adaptability.
Consequences of use and disuse of sensorimotor skills on cortical map topography and performance are captured in the concept of use-dependent plasticity and are intensively investigated.
Using a rat model of disuse osteoporosis, Barou, et al. [23] found poor correlation for TbTh by μCT versus bone histomorphometry and suggested that 3D- μCT may be more sensitive than histomorphometry in detecting changes in BMD and trabeculae.
One way to think of what counts as "learning" comes from renown psychologist Robert Bjork: "Learning is the ability to use information after significant periods of disuse, and it is the ability to use the information to solve problems that arise in a context different (if only slightly) from the context in which the information was originally taught".
Students frequently cite three agents of such change: the use or disuse of body parts, the needs or desires of individuals (or the species), and the direct effect of the environment (Brumby, 1984; Bishop and Anderson, 1990; Bardapurkar, 2008; Nehm and Schonfeld, 2008).
(Conveniently available in its entirety on the web at Literature.org) Chapter 5, Section 2: Effects of the increased use and disuse of parts, as controlled by natural selection.
Lamarck's concept of heredity, which is also one of the two cornerstones of his evolutionary synthesis, stands on two principles that he promoted to the status of fundamental laws in Philosophie Zoologique and other texts: 1) Use and disuse of organs 2) The inheritance of acquired characters.
This hypothesis shared with Lamarck's the importance of use and disuse in the development and obliteration of organs, and it added the notion that the environment acts directly on organic structures, which explained their adaptation to the way of life and environment of the organism.
