About the Project
Many individuals must exercise in the heat and numerous sporting events take place in hot environments e.g. 2020 Olympic Games (Tokyo), 2022 World Cup (Qatar). The Tokyo Olympics is expected to be the hottest in history, with temperatures in excess of 35oC, and high humidity, exacerbating the deleterious effects of such stressful environments on sports performance. Within the Olympics, field hockey, soccer and rugby take place outside in these extreme environments, and thus performance will be impaired (Sunderland & Nevill, 2005; MacLeod & Sunderland, 2012). There are both physical and cognitive demands placed on team sports athletes, presenting a unique challenge in terms of optimising both aspects of performance.
Our current research, has demonstrated that when team sport athletes perform a team sport simulation in a hot environment both neuromuscular and cognitive performance are impaired (Malcolm et al., under review). Thus, both the ability of a team sport athlete to run, and make appropriate split-second decisions is impaired in the heat and thus could influence winning or losing a match or obtaining a medal.
We have also demonstrated that heat acclimation (Sunderland et al., 2008) and neck cooling (Sunderland et al., 2015) can help to overcome some of the detrimental effects observed when we exercise in the heat. However, whether cognitive function is enhanced with acclimation is unknown, and the physiological mechanisms for the benefits of heat acclimation and neck cooling need to be elucidated. Therefore, through the new techniques we are now utilising, (transcranial magnetic stimulation, peripheral stimulation, biochemical analyses and proteomics) we aim to investigate the physiological mechanisms that underpin performance enhancement with team sport acclimation and determine whether cognitive performance, essential for decision-making and thus often the determining factor for success, is also improved following acclimation. To further increase the impact and practical application of the research, we will also aim to assess the additional benefits neck cooling may have on acclimatised team sport athletes.
Research aims
Primary aim: To demonstrate the benefits of heat acclimation on team sport performance, with particular reference to neuromuscular and cognitive performance and provide the physiological mechanistic underpinning for these benefits.
Additional aims: To assess the additional benefits, and mechanisms for these benefits, of using neck cooling on performance of acclimatised team sport athletes.
Qualifications
The successful candidate will have minimum of a 2:1 degree or equivalent and a Masters in Sports Science, Exercise Physiology, Physiology or related discipline.
Continue with Facebook
