Spinal mechanisms of fatigability and the effects of ischemic preconditioning in men and women

• Grant number: 15/12730-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2016
• End date: July 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering - Bioengineering
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: André Fábio Kohn
• Grantee: Hugo Maxwell Pereira
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Women are frequently more fatigue resistant than men (women have longer time to task failure) during static contractions, such as the ones performed in postural tasks. The magnitude of presynaptic inhibition can potentially determine the time to task failure during static contractions. However, a sex difference in this mechanism is not known. Thus, the central aim of this project is to determine if presynaptic inhibition, an important mechanism involved in the excitability of the central nervous system at the spinal cord level, can contribute to the different fatigability between men and women. The hypothesis is that men and women will have different levels of presynaptic inhibition and consequently a greater time to task failure during fatiguing contractions. Furthermore, cycles of ischemia and reperfusion (ischemic pre-conditioning technique) is suggested to increase time to task failure, however, sex differences using this technique and the underlying mechanisms are not known. The second hypothesis of this project is that the ischemic pre-conditioning technique will increase the time to task failure due to modulation of presynaptic inhibition. Results of these studies will contribute to a better understanding of sex differences in spinal cord mechanisms involved in the fatigability of men and women. Moreover, we suggest that neural factors may be responsible for the benefits of the ischemic pre-conditioning technique with different magnitude between men and women. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PEREIRA, HUGO M.; DE LIMA, FELIPE F.; SILVA, BRUNO M.; KOHN, ANDRE F.. Sex differences in fatigability after ischemic preconditioning of non-exercising limbs. BIOLOGY OF SEX DIFFERENCES, v. 11, n. 1, OCT 27 2020. (15/12730-9, 11/17193-0)