# LOCOMOTION: IDLING METABOLISM & GAIT DYNAMICS

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA · 1990 · $160,844

## Abstract

The long-term goals reflected in this proposal have not changed:

1)  to determine the manner in which muscles and populations of
fibers within muscles are recruited during locomotion; and

2)  to investigate the relationship between muscular activity and
muscular metabolism.

Miniature swine, which are increasingly recognized as the best
non-primate models for human cardiovascular physiology, will be
used to make simultaneous measurements of skeletal muscle
activity (EMG and glycogen depletion), circulation (muscle blood
flow and capillary transit time), and metabolism (individual
muscle VO2 and net lactate release) during treadmill locomotion
up to the speed that elicits maximum O2 consumption.  This will
represent the first time that these critical measures have been
made at the same time in the same animal (or human subject), and
will permit direct quantitation of the interrelationships among the
variables in muscles of differing fiber type composition and
function.  These measurements will allow determination of
limitations to aerobic power imposed by O2 delivery and uptake in
individual muscles.  The specific objectives of these studies will
be to directly quantitate muscle activity, muscle O2 delivery, and
muscle metabolism during locomotion as a function of exercise
intensity to VO2max which the relationships among the 3
variables have been physiologically altered.

The relationships among the variables will be physiologically
altered in 2 ways.  In the first, the animals will undergo a
prolonged treadmill training program designed to increase aerobic
power.  In the second, alterations in the fiber recruitment,
circulatory, and metabolic patterns will be measured during
prolonged submaximal exercise with and without evaporative
cooling of the animals.

The findings from these proposed studies will significantly
increase understanding of the mechanisms underlying
cardiovascular and metabolic responses of individual skeletal
muscles of differing fiber type composition to exercise in
conscious animals.  These relationships have previously been
determined only at the "whole-body" level or in isolated muscle.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3157950
- **Project number:** 5R01AR037098-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** NMJHD63STRC5
- **Principal Investigator:** ROBERT B ARMSTRONG
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1990
- **Award amount:** $160,844
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1985-09-01 → 1991-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3157950

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3157950, LOCOMOTION: IDLING METABOLISM & GAIT DYNAMICS (5R01AR037098-05). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3157950. Licensed CC0.

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