University Of Massachusetts Amherst PhD Student Receives NIH Fellowship
Kinesiology doctoral candidate Skylar Holmes recently received a two-year, $44,916 F31 Predoctoral Fellowship Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate muscle fatigue’s impact on gait mechanics and neuromuscular control in knee osteoarthritis. Holmes’ project will build off ongoing research projects led by her faculty mentor, Associate Professor Katherine Boyer, and Distinguished Professor Jane Kent.
Fatigue is one of the most commonly reported symptoms in individuals with osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, that may limit physical capacity and contribute to disability. Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in particular results in more years lived with disability compared to any other musculoskeletal condition representing a critical public health problem.
“Prior research from Drs. Boyer and Kent has shown that healthy older adults experience measurable muscle fatigue in major locomotor muscles and this muscle fatigue has been associated with altered postural control and poorer chair rise performance,” says Holmes. “Overall, this suggests that muscle fatigue may contribute to mobility disability on an acute basis in older adults. Thus, in individuals with knee osteoarthritis, a group at greater risk of muscle fatigue, greater disability may also be expected. This suggests that fatigue may have a substantial impact on a key behavior for osteoarthritis management (e.g., activity).”
Skylar Holmes
Our hope is that our investigation of muscle fatigue in an osteoarthritic, aging population will identify promising targets for interventions to mitigate or prevent fatigue and related mobility declines, and lead to better overall quality of life
Kinesiology doctoral candidate Skylar Holmes
Researchers believe that changes in neuromuscular function may increase locomotor muscle fatigue in KOA compared to age-matched controls, as a greater percentage of the muscle’s capacity must be used for daily activities such as walking. To date, evidence to explain whether and how muscle fatigue may alter control and coordination of movement in KOA is limited.
“By quantifying the magnitude of muscle fatigue and its contributing factors, this study will build on the prior work from Drs. Kent and Boyer by using innovative experimental and analytic approaches to probe the impact of altered knee extensor function in individuals with knee osteoarthritis,” says Holmes.
Holmes’ study will investigate whether KOA-related neuromuscular changes exacerbate locomotor muscle fatigue and alter walking mechanics, or gait, thereby contributing to mobility declines. To assess and compare the specific mechanisms contributing to this muscle fatigue, Holmes will gather data on two groups of 10 men and 10 women: those with KOA (65-80 years) and older healthy controls (70-80 years). Both groups will be relatively sedentary, which will be verified using accelerometry. Participants will take a 30-minute treadmill walk to induce knee extensor muscle fatigue and then measure the mechanics of movement using gait analysis.
“Our hope is that our mechanistic investigation of muscle fatigue in an osteoarthritic, aging population will identify promising targets for interventions to mitigate or prevent fatigue and related mobility declines, and lead to better overall quality of life,” says Holmes.
The fellowship, funded through the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) program, enables promising predoctoral students with potential to develop into productive, independent research scientists, to receive financial support to conduct their own dissertation research. The completion of the project and the proposed training plan activities including skill development in new experimental and advanced computational approaches as well as professional development activities will have a significant, positive impact on Holmes’ development as an independent researcher, contributing to the stated goals of the NIH to enhance training of a diverse work force.