Jane Kent

Jane Kent

Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology

Human skeletal muscle function and fatigue, examining age, gender, chronic health status, and habitual physical activity level.

Location

Totman Building

30 Eastman Lane
Amherst, MA 01003
United States

111 Totman

My primary interest is in the area of human skeletal muscle function and fatigue. In particular, our work examines the mechanisms of fatigue, and how these vary depending upon age, gender, chronic health status, and habitual physical activity level. A related interest is an examination of the influence that fatigue has on functional capacity. We take a state-of-the-art, integrated approach to understanding human muscle function from the cell to the organism. The main problem we are working on now is how to minimize the loss of mobility and health that occur in old age.

Research Lab Website: 

Muscle Physiology Lab

Education

  • PhD, University of Southern California, 1987
  • MA, California State University, Long Beach, 1983
  • BA, California State University, Long Beach,1980

Key Publications

Wigmore DM, BM Damon, DM Pober, JA Kent. MRI Measures of perfusion-related changes in human skeletal muscle during progressive contractions. J Appl Physiol 97:2385-94, 2004.

Lanza IR, RG Larsen, JA Kent. Effects of old age on skeletal muscle energetics during fatiguing contractions with and without blood flow. J Physiol 583(Pt 3):1093-105, 2007.

Callahan DM, Kent JA. Effect of old age on human skeletal muscle force-velocity and fatigue properties. J Appl Physiol. 2011 Nov;111(5):1345-52.

Larsen RG, Callahan DM, Foulis SA, Kent JA. Age-related changes in oxidative capacity differ between locomotory muscles and are associated with physical activity behavior. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2012 Feb;37:88-99.

Kent JA, Fitts RH, Christie A. Skeletal muscle fatigue. Compr Physiol 2:997-1044, 2012.