Ground breaking research by Dr Michael Parkes (Senior Lecturer in Applied Physiology) on ‘The limits of breath holding’ is featured in April 2012’s Scientific American. The physiological mechanisms explaining the breaking point of breath holding are evidently important to the breath hold diver, where dives may reach 75 metres and breath-hold times exceed 9 minutes. However, research by Dr Parkes is exploring the clinical applications for extending breath hold time to enhance the effectiveness of radiation in the treatment of cancer. Research and teaching go hand in hand in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences (Sportex). The control of breathing and breath holding are key elements of undergraduate teaching at Sportex, where undergraduate students have the opportunity to thrash out the key ideas about breath-holding with world experts!
Read the article on Scientific American website here