Group U. Boutellier

from: 1.5.1985 - 1.4.2013
Respiratory control, respiratory muscle fatigue and exercise performance:
Respiratory muscle fatigue is known to increase adverse respiratory sensations and to impair exercise performance in healthy human subjects. Respiratory muscle training can improve both. We currently investigate the mechanisms by which respiratory muscle fatigue and different types of respiratory muscle training affect leg muscle fatigue, fatigue of the different respiratory muscles, respiratory drive and respiratory sensations in order improve – besides athletic performance – the treatment of patients with respiratory disorders.
Molecular, cellular, and systemic responses of exercise stimuli:
Skeletal muscle can adapt to altered functional demands. The specificity of adaptation depends on distinct molecular and cellular events triggered by unique combinations of conditional cues. To derive effective and tailored exercise prescriptions for the prevention or treatment of metabolic and structural disorders, we aim to determine how defined mechano-biological conditions make an impact on molecular, cellular, and systemic responses that lead to structural, contractile, and metabolic adaptations.
Exercise testing:
The evaluation of exercise performance requires the most accurate testing tools that should be as easy as possible to use. We aim to replace the time-consuming "maximal lactate steady state test" by simpler tests with a similar accuracy. In addition, we investigate the potential of heart rate variability for performance diagnostics.