Understanding muscle-tendon architecture and function in-vivo human

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K19998
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59020:Sports sciences-related
• Research Institution: Niigata University (2022-2023); Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences (2019-2020)
• Principal Investigator: Kunimasa Yoko 新潟大学, 人文社会科学系, 助教 (20804355)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-11-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 筋代謝 / 筋機能 / 近赤外線分光法 / NIRS / 皮膚血流

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The initial objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between specific muscle-tendon architecture and their function during human movement. However, some problems arose that were not anticipated in the original plan in the muscle metabolism evaluation method, which is necessary for clarifying the relationship between skeletal and muscle tendon morphology and muscle force production and metabolic characteristics during movement. Therefore, we developed a method to evaluate muscle oxygenation and deoxygenation during exercise by using both a noninvasive skin vasoconstrictor transcutaneous administration and a near-infrared spectroscopy (TRS-NIRS) that can measure absolute and relative values of muscle oxygenation and deoxygenation.

Free Research Field

バイオメカニクス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で開発された皮膚血流の影響を受けない筋酸素化・脱酸素化評価法によって，安静時だけでなく運動時や暑熱環境下等の熱ストレスが加わる状況においても筋代謝を評価することができるようになった．これによって，これまで困難であった様々な環境下，条件下での運動中の筋の生理学的機能評価が筋間や個人間で比較できるようになり，今後の筋機能研究に大いに貢献することが期待できる．