Elective: Physiology of Exercise and Ageing
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Elective: Physiology of Exercise and Ageing

Elective: Physiology of Exercise and Ageing

Purpose

This course provides the student with the necessary theoretical and laboratory (through practicals) knowledge to describe mechanisms and characteristics underlying the ageing of the human body, as well as demonstrate how the body responds and adapts as a result of physical activity in older adults.

 

 

General teaching aims

This course aims:

  • to provide knowledge on key elements of the pathophysiology of ageing and its effects on different tissues and systems of the body,
  • to highlight the acute and chronic beneficial effects of physical activity, in particular its role in slowing down the adverse effects of ageing, focusing on current research and clinical data on the benefits of exercise in age-related chronic diseases.

 

Course contents

 

General:

 

This course falls under the subjects of the physiology of exercise and the physiology of ageing, which examine the physiological mechanisms governing how the human body adapts to exercise and ageing, focusing on age-related changes and the associated exercise-induced changes in the nervous, musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory systems. The course also has a laboratory-based component covering functional, cardiorespiratory, haemodynamic, and metabolic responses to exercise in older individuals.
The contents of this course underpin its interdisciplinary nature, as it aims to describe the physiological changes that take place in the human body due to ageing, and the beneficial adaptations to physical activity. It is thus a part of a wider teaching framework that encompasses preventive or therapeutic approaches to age-related conditions.

 

The course in brief:

 

Key effects of ageing and its impact on cellular organelles. Vascular changes in the ageing brain. Brain metabolism during ageing. Neuro-endocrine changes in ageing. Changes in signal transduction pathways in the aged brain. Impairment of calcium homeostasis in nervous system ageing. The role of oxidative stress in brain ageing. The role of exercise and nutrition in nervous system ageing. Basic principles of human movement and its neuromuscular control. Adaptations of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems to physical activity and ageing. Exercise-induced acute and chronic adaptations of muscle and bone tissue. The role of exercise in bone metabolism and osteoporosis. The effect of exercise on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems in older individuals. Energy systems and exercise-induced metabolic adaptations of the body in older adults.

 

Practical:

 

Functional, cardiorespiratory, haemodynamic and metabolic body responses and adaptations to exercise in older adults.