Serotonin is one of the “feel good” neuromodulators floating around in the central nervous system, however, it doesn’t just play a role when it comes to our mood. Serotonin plays a very important role in transmitting impulses between nerve cells. More specifically, it affects the excitability of our motoneurones, the […]
When reaching for an object we must compensate for any body movement that may take the arm off-target. For example, reaching for a handrail when standing on a bus that suddenly accelerates requires detection and compensation for body movement relative to the handrail. A key sensory system which can detect body […]
When you take a breath, many muscles in your body contract in a coordinated pattern to let air flow in and out of your lungs. While most of the muscular work for breathing is done by the diaphragm muscle in the abdomen, the muscles in the upper airway also play […]
With microendoscopy, it is now possible to study the microstructure of muscles in living humans with an unprecedented level of detail. Associate Professor Glen Lichtwark from the University of Queensland explains how microendoscopy can be used to gain a deeper understanding of how muscles adapt in response to, for example, training […]
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While older people most often fall because of a slip, trip or loss of balance, up to 25% of falls remain unexplained (Anpalahan & Gibson, 2012; Davies & Kenny, 1996; Lord et al., 1993). People who have had unexplained falls report having fallen because of a blackout, dizziness, feeling faint or “having […]
Associate Professor Janet Taylor studies the mechanisms that cause people to feel fatigued after exercise. In this video she discusses the different components of fatigue and the clinical relevance of understanding these mechanisms.
Muscle strength and other measures of physical function decline with age (e.g., Kenny et al. 2013). To overcome these age-related decrements in physical function, physical exercise is recommended (e.g. American College of Sports Medicine 2009; Australian Government Department of Health 2005). Two types of exercise that improve physical function in older adults […]
Perhaps when you were a child, you stood in front of a mirror and flexed your elbow to see how big your muscles were (perhaps you have done this recently?). The harder you contract your muscle, the bigger it looks. But of course the muscle doesn’t actually get bigger, it […]
Inspiratory muscle motoneurone pools are linked via many reflex connections. These reflexes are largely inhibitory and can operate over several segments. Much of our knowledge of these reflex connections comes from studies in animals (Marlot et al. 1988, Speck & Revelette. 1987). In humans, we know that stimulation of the phrenic nerve […]
