Clarkson University Honors Program student, Ryan M. McCarthy, a sophomore from Bedford, N.H., majoring in biology and psychology, will present her research in a poster presentation at Experimental Biology 2022 in Philadelphia in April.
Experimental Biology is the annual meeting of five professional societies that explores the latest research in anatomy, biochemistry and molecular biology, investigative pathology, pharmacology, and physiology.
McCarthy’s research, titled “Associations Between Heart Rate and Skeletal Muscle Oxygen Saturation (SmO2) in Upper and Lower Extremities During Self-Paced Walking,” was co-authored by Clarkson honors student Emily Locke, a junior from Clayton, N.Y., majoring in biomolecular science.
The two undergraduates are performing their research project under the direction of Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Ali Boolani. Clinical Associate Professor Physical Therapy Christopher Towler and Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Kwadwo Appiah-Kubi are both collaborating in the project. Post-doctoral students Moustafa Elwan, Ahmed Torad and Ahmed Kadry are assisting in data collection.
The research project was originally initiated by former graduate student Maggie Stark for her master’s thesis, but in the middle of data collection, the pandemic hit and data collection was stopped in 2020.
In spring 2021, McCarthy and Locke restarted the project and revised the protocol to meet Clarkson’s COVID guidelines. The two set up the experiment, trained undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral fellows on the protocol, and have been collecting data since Summer 2021.
Based on their preliminary findings, the researchers have found that when walking, the amount of oxygen consumed by arm muscles has a negative correlation to heart rate (as the heart rate goes up, the amount of oxygen consumed by the muscles in the arm decreases). However, increased heart rate was correlated with increased oxygen consumption in the calves, suggesting that muscles in the calves increased oxygen consumption to meet metabolic demands of walking.
These findings suggest that as the intensity of one’s walk increases, the body shunts more blood to the leg, increases vasodilation in the leg, and proportionally decreases blood flow to the arms. This causes vasoconstriction in the arms so that the oxygen demands of walking muscles can be met.
“This might seem like a ‘duh’ thing because this is what we teach our PT and physiology students,” says Boolani. “However, Ryan and Emily have now shown the relationship in an experimental setting. After we complete this study, we are interested in seeing if the same relationship exists when we do primarily upper extremity exercises. We also want to know what happens in full-body exercises.”
“We are so thrilled to see the culmination of these efforts,” says Honors Program Director Professor Kate Krueger “Ryan got her start in research at Clarkson as part of the five-week Honors ‘Pre-Frosh’ summer research program, which allows Honors students the chance to jump into research. From that foundation, Ryan has built an amazing skill set throughout her undergraduate career with Dr. Boolani. All of our Honors students have the opportunity to perform research as undergraduates with our faculty, and we’re so excited to cheer on Ryan and her research partner Emily as they show the fruits of their labor.”
Experimental Biology participants represent scientists from academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and industry. The host and guest societies are the American Association for Anatomy, the American Physiological Society, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society for Investigative Pathology, and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
The two students are still collecting additional data, but the Experimental Biology meeting is an opportunity for them to present some of their preliminary findings. Subjects are still being recruited for the study and can participate by contacting Boolani at aboolani@clarkson.edu.
