Topic: Physiological and psychological factors in fatigue and the conservation
of physical performance in master athletes
Context: Aging is invariably associated with a reduction of physical capacity
which leads to reduced mobility and can impede life quality. It has been
demonstrated though, that individuals who adopt an active physical training
regime, so called "master athletes", can limit the decline of motor
performance, especially in long duration exercise. This was detailed in an
article of Tanaka and Seals published in the Journal of Physiology (2008)
investigating age-related performance decline in long duration exercise. An
age-induced decline in marathon performance was identified from 30-35 years of
age onward in both males and females, yet a continued training regime resulted
in a conservation of performance until around 65 years of age. According to
Tanaka and Seals (2008), the performance decline is mainly caused by metabolic
factors such as a progressive reduction of the VO2max and the lactate
threshold. Paradoxically, there are only few studies investigating muscle
characteristics in master athletes, although muscular function is known to
decline with age (Brisswalter and Nosaka, 2013). Equal lack of elucidation is
present concerning the psychological component of fatigue in studies
investigating master athletes (Knechtle, 2012). The master athlete represents
an interesting model of successful aging which enables, among other things, to
examine the effects of a sedentary lifestyle and associated pathologies on
age-related physical performance decline. The topic of this thesis therefore is
to analyse, from a pluridisciplinary perspective, the physiological and
psychological factors implicated in fatigue development and performance
maintenance in well-trained, elderly subjects.
Goals of the research : The general objective of the thesis is to investigate
the relationship between physiological and psychological aspects of fatigue
during exercise in master athletes.
Requirements : As the investigations will comport components of multiple
disciplines, basic knowledge in both muscle physiology and exercise psychology
is a prerequisite. Additionally the candidate will be expected to exhibit
enthusiasm for learning about integrated fatigue models.
Prerequisites: The candidate will be expected to have a Master of Research or
equivalent, a good command of the English language, and be a confident user of
computer systems.
Thesis modalities
- The successful candidate will be based at the University of Nice
Sophia Antipolis in the Laboratoire Motricité Humaine Education Sport Santé (EA
6309) (http://www.unice.fr/ufrstaps/lamhes/). A cotutelle scheme may be
possible, depending on the profile of the candidate
- The successful candidate will be enroled in the doctorate school
post-graduate course program at the l'Ecole Doctorale Sciences du Mouvement
Humain (ED 463 : http://www.edsmh.univ-mrs.fr)
To apply : ( application deadline : 10/07/2013)
Send a CV, letter of motivation and relevant grades to :
Pr J Brisswalter UNIVERSITE DE NICE SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS
UFR STAPS | 261, Rte de Grenoble | BP 3259 | 06205 Nice Cedex 03 | France
T +33 4 89 83 66 18 | brisswal...@unice.fr
Pr S Colson UNIVERSITE DE NICE SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS
UFR STAPS | 261, Rte de Grenoble | BP 3259 | 06205 Nice Cedex 03 | France
serge.col...@unice.fr
Pr F D-ARRIPE-LONGUEVILLE UNIVERSITE DE NICE SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS
UFR STAPS | 261, Rte de Grenoble | BP 3259 | 06205 Nice Cedex 03 | France
longu...@unice.fr
References
Brisswalter J, Nosaka K. Neuromuscular factors associated with decline in
long-distance running performance in master athletes. Sports Med. 2013
Jan;43(1):51-63.
Hawkins SA, Wiswell RA, Marcell TJ. Exercise and the master athlete--a model of
successful aging? J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003 Nov;58(11):1009-11
Knechtle B. Ultramarathon runners: nature or nurture? Int J Sports Physiol
Perform. 2012 Dec;7(4):310-2
Marcora SM, Staiano W, Manning V. Mental fatigue impairs physical performance
in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2009
Noakes TD, St Clair Gibson A, Lambert EV. From catastrophe to complexity: a
novel model of integrative central neural regulation of effort and fatigue
during exercise in humans. Br J Sports Med. 2004 Aug;38(4):511-4
Tanaka H, Seals DR. Endurance exercise performance in Masters athletes:
age-associated changes and underlying physiological mechanisms. J Physiol. 2008
Jan 1;586(1):55-63.
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