Supporting a uK SucceSS Story: The impacT of - Research Councils ...

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Fighting fatigue PhD student Abdulla Alghannam about to centrifuge some whole-blood so the supernatant (plasma) can be removed and stored for later analysis. Researchers at the University of Bath led by Dr James Betts are currently running the latest in a series of studies to better understand the mechanisms of fatigue during exercise. They are particularly keen to look at instances where repeated bouts of demanding exercise are required without an adequate break for full physical recovery. This has relevance to intensive periods of competition, such as the Olympic Games, but also the ongoing daily training of both athletes and recreational exercisers alike. The team are examining the differences in fatigue experienced between an initial bout of exercise and subsequent repeated bouts, while simultaneously evaluating the impact of various nutritional strategies on this relationship. The work combines a broad range of contemporary measurement techniques from analysis of fuel levels with human muscle samples, to measuring the concentration of key hormones in blood, to monitoring changes in central nervous system activation. The findings will contribute to our fundamental understanding of human physiology, but with clear application to the development of evidence-based nutrition and training programmes for athletes in the lead-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Another group of researchers at the University of Brighton are unraveling the mystery of how the brain determines how much exercise we are capable of. “The work combines a broad range of contemporary measurement techniques from analysis of fuel levels with human muscle samples, to measuring the concentration of key hormones in blood, to monitoring changes in central nervous system activation.” Although the limits to human performance have been explored for decades, only within the last 15 years has the study of the brain’s involvement in exercise tolerance become debated by sport and exercise scientists. Originally, researchers assumed that fatigue was caused because muscles couldn’t operate effectively as a consequence of prolonged or intense physical exertion. However, the introduction of techniques such as “transcranial magnetic stimulation”, a non-invasive method that assesses the brain’s control of muscles, has allowed researchers to explore just how influential the brain is in muscle fatigue. The researchers hope that this research could lead to new training methods and ultimately improve the performance of athletes. 26 SECTION two : Health and Wellbeing
Dr James Betts sampling blood for analysis in the foreground while Mark Tweddle provides an expired gas sample whilst wearing an EEG monitor to check his brain activity. SECTION two : Health and Wellbeing 27
Page 1 and 2: Supporting a UK success story: The
Page 3 and 4: British Universities & Colleges Spo
Page 5 and 6: Research is increasingly being used
Page 7 and 8: CONTENTS Section 1 technology Secti
Page 9 and 10: Electronic POWERbreathe® K-Series
Page 11 and 12: Strengthening foundations through 3
Page 13 and 14: Since then, the Imperial team have
Page 15 and 16: Men’s 4x100 m relay team review t
Page 17 and 18: Technology: FOOTBALL FOCUSED Footba
Page 19 and 20: “This interactive approach will a
Page 21 and 22: SECTION ONE : TECHNOLOGY 21
Page 23 and 24: A number of new technologies will b
Page 25: the concentration of lactate in the
Page 29 and 30: A healthy legacy Recognising the im
Page 31 and 32: mind anticipates the end of a bout
Page 33 and 34: Health and Wellbeing Monitoring air
Page 35 and 36: Sharon Gayter SECTION two : Health
Page 37 and 38: difference. It is the same disabili
Page 39 and 40: Tom Waller, a former Engineering an
Page 41 and 42: Role of drawing in the Olympic Game
Page 43 and 44: Design for disabled athletes Studen
Page 45 and 46: SECTION THREE : DESIGN 45
Page 47 and 48: The first project, ‘Sport for Lif
Page 49 and 50: of the game away from the more expe
Page 51 and 52: Tennis Tennis is another sport whic
Page 53 and 54: London 1948 established Olympism’
Page 55 and 56: Modern Pentathlon celebrates its ce
Page 57 and 58: etween the two countries in the run
Page 59 and 60: PhD student Helen Hoyle Trial plot
Page 61 and 62: World Student Games in Sheffield SE
Page 63 and 64: Lifelong health Physical inactivity

Supporting a uK SucceSS Story: The impacT of - Research Councils ...

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