All Outputs (45)

DYNamic Assessment of Multi‐Organ level dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID‐19: DYNAMO COVID‐19 (2024)
Journal Article
Gupta, A., Nicholas, R., McGing, J. J., Nixon, A. V., Mallinson, J. E., McKeever, T. M., Bradley, C. R., Piasecki, M., Cox, E. F., Bonnington, J., Lord, J. M., Brightling, C. E., Evans, R. A., Hall, I. P., Francis, S. T., Greenhaff, P. L., & Bolton, C. E. (2024). DYNamic Assessment of Multi‐Organ level dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID‐19: DYNAMO COVID‐19. Experimental Physiology, 109(8), 1274-1291. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep091590

We evaluated the impacts of COVID-19 on multi-organ and metabolic function in patients following severe hospitalised infection compared to controls. Patients (n = 21) without previous diabetes, cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease were recruited... Read More about DYNamic Assessment of Multi‐Organ level dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID‐19: DYNAMO COVID‐19.

Common synaptic inputs and persistent inward currents of vastus lateralis motor units are reduced in older male adults (2024)
Journal Article
Guo, Y., Jones, E. J., Škarabot, J., Inns, T. B., Phillips, B. E., Atherton, P. J., & Piasecki, M. (2024). Common synaptic inputs and persistent inward currents of vastus lateralis motor units are reduced in older male adults. GeroScience, 46, 3249-3261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-024-01063-w

Although muscle atrophy may partially account for age-related strength decline, it is further influenced by alterations of neural input to muscle. Persistent inward currents (PIC) and the level of common synaptic inputs to motoneurons influence neuro... Read More about Common synaptic inputs and persistent inward currents of vastus lateralis motor units are reduced in older male adults.

The effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on hospitalised adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (2023)
Journal Article
Alqurashi, H. B., Robinson, K., O’Connor, D., Piasecki, M., Gladman, J. R. F., Gordon, A. L., & Masud, T. (2023). The effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on hospitalised adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Age and Ageing, 52(12), Article afad236. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afad236

Introduction Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a treatment to prevent or reverse acquired disability in hospitalised adults. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of its effectiveness. Method We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cum... Read More about The effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on hospitalised adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Menstrual Cycle Associated Alteration of Vastus Lateralis Motor Unit Function (2023)
Journal Article
Piasecki, J., Guo, Y., Jones, E. J., Phillips, B. E., Stashuk, D. W., Atherton, P. J., & Piasecki, M. (2023). Menstrual Cycle Associated Alteration of Vastus Lateralis Motor Unit Function. Sports Medicine - Open, 9, Article 97. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00639-8

Background: Estrogen and progesterone are the primary female sex hormones and have net excitatory and inhibitory effects, respectively, on neuronal function. Fluctuating concentrations across the menstrual cycle has led to several lines of research i... Read More about Menstrual Cycle Associated Alteration of Vastus Lateralis Motor Unit Function.

Acute adaptation of central and peripheral motor unit features to exercise‐induced fatigue differs with concentric and eccentric loading (2023)
Journal Article
Jones, E. J., Guo, Y., Martinez‐Valdes, E., Negro, F., Stashuk, D. W., Atherton, P. J., …Piasecki, M. (2023). Acute adaptation of central and peripheral motor unit features to exercise‐induced fatigue differs with concentric and eccentric loading. Experimental Physiology, 108(6), 827-837. https://doi.org/10.1113/EP091058

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Conflicting evidence exists on motor unit (MU) firing rate in response to exercise‐induced fatigue, possibly due to the contraction modality used: Do MU properties adapt similarly following co... Read More about Acute adaptation of central and peripheral motor unit features to exercise‐induced fatigue differs with concentric and eccentric loading.

Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound repeatability for the measurement of skeletal muscle microvascular blood flow (2023)
Journal Article
Jones, E. J., Atherton, P. J., Piasecki, M., & Phillips, B. E. (2023). Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound repeatability for the measurement of skeletal muscle microvascular blood flow. Experimental Physiology, 108(4), 549-553. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep091034

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can be used to directly assess skeletal muscle perfusion. However, its repeatability over time has not yet been validated and therefore its use in longitudinal measures (i.e., exploring the impact of a chronic inte... Read More about Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound repeatability for the measurement of skeletal muscle microvascular blood flow.

Motor unit dysregulation following 15 days of unilateral lower limb immobilisation (2022)
Journal Article
Inns, T. B., Bass, J. J., Hardy, E. J., Wilkinson, D. J., Stashuk, D. W., Atherton, P. J., …Piasecki, M. (2022). Motor unit dysregulation following 15 days of unilateral lower limb immobilisation. Journal of Physiology, 600(21), 4753-4769. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp283425

Abstract: Disuse atrophy, caused by situations of unloading such as limb immobilisation, causes a rapid yet diverging reduction in skeletal muscle function when compared to muscle mass. While mechanistic insight into the loss of mass is well studied,... Read More about Motor unit dysregulation following 15 days of unilateral lower limb immobilisation.

Training-induced improvements in knee extensor force accuracy are associated with reduced vastus lateralis motor unit firing variability (2022)
Journal Article
Ely, I. A., Jones, E. J., Inns, T. B., Dooley, S., Miller, S. B. J., Stashuk, D. W., …Piasecki, M. (2022). Training-induced improvements in knee extensor force accuracy are associated with reduced vastus lateralis motor unit firing variability. Experimental Physiology, https://doi.org/10.1113/EP090367

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Can bilateral knee extensor force accuracy be improved following 4 weeks of unilateral force accuracy training and are there any subsequent alterations to central and/or peripheral motor unit... Read More about Training-induced improvements in knee extensor force accuracy are associated with reduced vastus lateralis motor unit firing variability.

Ageing and exercise-induced motor unit remodelling (2022)
Journal Article
Jones, E. J., Chiou, S. Y., Atherton, P. J., Phillips, B. E., & Piasecki, M. (2022). Ageing and exercise-induced motor unit remodelling. Journal of Physiology, 600(8), 1839-1849. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP281726

A motor unit (MU) comprises the neuron cell body, its corresponding axon and each of the muscle fibres it innervates. Many studies highlight age-related reductions in the number of MUs, yet the ability of a MU to undergo remodelling and to expand to... Read More about Ageing and exercise-induced motor unit remodelling.

Neuromuscular recruitment strategies of the vastus lateralis according to sex (2022)
Journal Article
Guo, Y., Jones, E. J., Inns, T. B., Ely, I. A., Stashuk, D. W., Wilkinson, D. J., …Piasecki, M. (2022). Neuromuscular recruitment strategies of the vastus lateralis according to sex. Acta Physiologica, 235(2), Article e13803. https://doi.org/10.1111/apha.13803

Aim: Despite males typically exhibiting greater muscle strength and fatigability than females, it remains unclear if there are sex-based differences in neuromuscular recruitment strategies e.g. recruitment and modulation of motor unit firing rate (MU... Read More about Neuromuscular recruitment strategies of the vastus lateralis according to sex.

Circulating testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone are associated with individual motor unit features in untrained and highly active older men (2021)
Journal Article
Guo, Y., Piasecki, J., Swiecicka, A., Ireland, A., Phillips, B. E., Atherton, P. J., …Piasecki, M. (2022). Circulating testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone are associated with individual motor unit features in untrained and highly active older men. GeroScience, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-021-00482-3

Long-term exercise training has been considered as an effective strategy to counteract age-related hormonal declines and minimise muscle atrophy. However, human data relating circulating hormone levels with motor nerve function are scant. The aims of... Read More about Circulating testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone are associated with individual motor unit features in untrained and highly active older men.

Motor Unit Remodelling (2021)
Book Chapter
Kirk, B., & Piasecki, M. (2021). Motor Unit Remodelling. In A. J. Cruz-Jentoft, & J. E. Morley (Eds.), Sarcopenia (35-44). (Second Edition). Wiley

Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (2021)
Journal Article
Ellwood, R. A., Piasecki, M., & Szewczyk, N. J. (2021). Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(9), Article 4891. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22094891

The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has been used extensively to enhance our understanding of the human neuromuscular disorder Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). With new arising clinically relevant models, technologies and treatments, there is... Read More about Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Atrophy Resistant vs. Atrophy Susceptible skeletal muscles: “aRaS” as a novel experimental paradigm to study the mechanisms of human disuse atrophy (2021)
Journal Article
Hardy, E., Inns, T., Wilkinson, D., Piasecki, M., Atherton, P., Phillips, B., …Smith, K. (2021). Atrophy Resistant vs. Atrophy Susceptible skeletal muscles: “aRaS” as a novel experimental paradigm to study the mechanisms of human disuse atrophy. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 653060. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.653060

Objective: Disuse atrophy (DA) describes inactivity-induced skeletal muscle loss, through incompletely defined mechanisms. An intriguing observation is that individual muscles exhibit differing degrees of atrophy, despite exhibiting similar anatomica... Read More about Atrophy Resistant vs. Atrophy Susceptible skeletal muscles: “aRaS” as a novel experimental paradigm to study the mechanisms of human disuse atrophy.

Lifelong exercise is associated with more homogeneous motor unit potential features across deep and superficial areas of vastus lateralis (2021)
Journal Article
Jones, E. J., Piasecki, J., Ireland, A., Stashuk, D. W., Atherton, P. J., Phillips, B. E., …Piasecki, M. (2021). Lifelong exercise is associated with more homogeneous motor unit potential features across deep and superficial areas of vastus lateralis. GeroScience, 43(4), 1555-1565. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-021-00356-8

Motor unit (MU) expansion enables rescue of denervated muscle fibres helping to ameliorate age-relatedmuscle atrophy, with evidence to suggest master athletes are more successful at this remodelling. Electrophysiological data has suggested MUs locate... Read More about Lifelong exercise is associated with more homogeneous motor unit potential features across deep and superficial areas of vastus lateralis.

Near-Fiber Electromyography (2021)
Journal Article
Piasecki, M., Garnés-Camarena, O., & Stashuk, D. W. (2021). Near-Fiber Electromyography. Clinical Neurophysiology, 132(5), 1089-1104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2021.02.008

Objective

Describe and evaluate the concepts of near fiber electromyography (NFEMG), the features used, including near fiber motor unit potential (NFMUP) duration and dispersion, which relate to motor unit distal axonal branch and muscle fiber con... Read More about Near-Fiber Electromyography.

Factors associated with electrical stimulation‐induced performance fatigability are dependent upon stimulation location (2021)
Journal Article
Inns, T. B., McCormick, D., Greig, C. A., Atherton, P. J., Phillips, B. E., & Piasecki, M. (2021). Factors associated with electrical stimulation‐induced performance fatigability are dependent upon stimulation location. Experimental Physiology, 106(4), 828-836. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep089204

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is increasingly viewed as a central tenet to minimise muscle loss during periods of disuse/illness – typically applied directly over a muscle belly. Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is afforded less atten... Read More about Factors associated with electrical stimulation‐induced performance fatigability are dependent upon stimulation location.

Mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide supplementation improves health in the C. elegans Duchenne muscular dystrophy model (2021)
Journal Article
Ellwood, R. A., Hewitt, J. E., Torregrossa, R., Philp, A. M., Hardee, J. P., Hughes, S., …Szewczyk, N. J. (2021). Mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide supplementation improves health in the C. elegans Duchenne muscular dystrophy model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(9), Article e2018342118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2018342118

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness due to mutations in the dystrophin gene. The symptoms of DMD share similarities with those of accelerated aging. Recentl... Read More about Mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide supplementation improves health in the C. elegans Duchenne muscular dystrophy model.

Molecular and neural adaptations to neuromuscular electrical stimulation; Implications for ageing muscle (2020)
Journal Article
Guo, Y., Phillips, B. E., Atherton, P. J., & Piasecki, M. (2021). Molecular and neural adaptations to neuromuscular electrical stimulation; Implications for ageing muscle. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 193, Article 111402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2020.111402

One of the most notable effects of ageing is an accelerated decline of skeletal muscle mass and function, resulting in various undesirable outcomes such as falls, frailty, and all-cause mortality. The loss of muscle mass directly leads to functional... Read More about Molecular and neural adaptations to neuromuscular electrical stimulation; Implications for ageing muscle.

Influence of sex on the age‐related adaptations of neuromuscular function and motor unit properties in elite masters athletes (2020)
Journal Article
Piasecki, J., Inns, T. B., Bass, J. J., Scott, R., Stashuk, D. W., Phillips, B. E., …Piasecki, M. (2021). Influence of sex on the age‐related adaptations of neuromuscular function and motor unit properties in elite masters athletes. Journal of Physiology, 599(1), 193-205. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp280679

Motor unit (MU) remodelling acts to minimise loss of muscle fibres following denervation in older age, which may be more successful in masters athletes. Evidence suggests performance and neuromuscular function decline with age in this population, alt... Read More about Influence of sex on the age‐related adaptations of neuromuscular function and motor unit properties in elite masters athletes.