FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF BONE ARCHITECTURE: THE REGULATION OF MORPHOLOGY BY ELECTRIC FIELDS.

An in vivo model has been developed to help define the parameters of mechanical loading responsible for stimulating adaptive bone remodeling. The model has demonstrated that cellular behavior, even in mature bone, can be readily controlled by mechanical loading. As mechanical loading of connective tissue is associated with stress-generated electrical potentials, the question of whether induced electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) can serve as a noninvasive means for inhibiting or reversing disuse osteoporosis (bone loss) is currently being addressed. By coordinating mechanical and electrical experimentation, the authors hope to both converge on the design of osteogenically appropriate electrical signals and address the issue of the mechanism by which the bone architecture is regulated.