Sports Medicine

June, 2006 - Tarleton State University students Tex Milner, Kay Barham and Travis Pevy recently presented research results at the National Conference of the American College of Sports Medicine in Denver. These students conducted research activities in the Laboratory for Wellness and Motor Behavior, Tarleton's Human Performance Laboratory. Topics for their research focus on autonomic control of the heart and identifying characteristics of variability in the heart rate. Details of this heart rate variability have recently been shown to be related to age, fitness level, gender, lifestyle and conditioning.

Milner and Pevey investigated the relationship of heart rate variability to physical work capacity in college males and females. They found that the beat-to-beat variability tends to increase with work capacity. Barham studied the effect of psychomotor stress on heart rate variability in active and inactive athletes. She reported to the conference similar variability between active and inactive athletes.

These research activities provide students and faculty an opportunity to meet and collaborate with some of the best health leaders in the world.