Research in Applied Physiology

Research in the School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Tech is organized around the physiology of movement: motor planning and control, the mechanics of movement, and the physiological responses to activity.

Biomechanics and motor control

Biomechanics describes the dynamics of human movement using laws of physics and concepts in engineering. The research group in biomechanics seeks to understand how the nervous system controls and coordinates movement in healthy individuals and pathological systems, with special emphasis on amputees, older human adults with neurodegenerative diseases and comparative physiological systems. Investigations consider the changing state of the neuromuscular system when a new task is learned, when diseases progress, and when the physical environment is altered, e.g., by an external prosthesis or orthosis. Various paradigms are used to evaluate motor control at levels ranging from the single motor unit and muscle function to the highest levels of planning and processing.

Molecular and cellular physiology

Skeletal muscle function plays an important role in daily activities ranging from sport to work to respiration. Maintenance of muscle function requires continued adaptation to the changing demands on both muscle and surrounding tissue. Deficits in the cellular processes of adaptation result in weakness, diminished quality of life, and even death. The muscle physiology group seeks to understand the mechanisms that control muscle function and plasticity. We combine cell and molecular techniques that permit highly controlled investigation of specific signals with integrative studies that permit investigation of muscle in the context of systemic influences.

Integrative physiology

Exercise physiology is the study of how body function and structure is altered by exposure to acute and chronic bouts of exercise. Research in this faculty group is focused on two main areas. Exercise in the heat encompasses studying the factors and mechanisms that underlie exertional heat illness and the potential role of nutrition in ameliorating the effects of heat. This group investigates the physiological responses and efficacy of specific nutritional interventions related to dosage and composition during and following different types of physical activities in a warm/hot environment. VO2 Lab Exercise as a health behavior focuses on understanding characteristics of different physical activities (e.g., intensity, duration, frequency) and how they relate to the adoption and long-term maintenance of an activity program in the real world. Exercise is studied as a behavior within the theoretical framework of selected health behavior models. Key variables include both physiological and behavioral measurements. This line of research has major public health implications for preventing and reducing inactivity-related diseases such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 09-Oct-2007 11:19:15 EDT