Fig. 1.

Primary motor function outcomes in young reference animals (grid-lined bar, n = 87), old control (open bars, n = 40), and old nitrite (black bars, n = 22) animals before and after 8 wk of drinking regular water or sodium nitrite-supplemented water (50 mg/liter). Motor functions are displayed for three primary motor outcomes: A, grip strength; B, distance traveled over 5 min in a novel open arena; and C, time run during an endurance rota-rod run fixed to 75% and 100% of maximal run speeds. *P < 0.05 from baseline; †P < 0.05 old control to old nitrite mice at 8 wk; ^P < 0.05 old nitrite mice at 8 wk compared with young reference mice.