This doctoral research aimed to investigate the relationship between chronological age, relative age, pubertal development, and their impact on performance in youth football players. The research involved two distinct studies: the first included 61 young players from the U14 category, while the second examined 259 elite-level players in the U14-U19 categories. Both studies revealed considerable variability in pubertal development among players of the same chronological age, showing that this ...
During fatiguing exercise, a myriad of peripheral and central physiological perturbations occur in the brain and in the central nervous system, which impair the capability to produce force or power through muscle contractions. The capacity to tolerate such conditions is a determinant factor for exercise capacity in healthy and clinical populations, which in turn impacts physical performance . Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which involves the transmission of a weak electrical...
Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a severe mental disorder characterized by emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships. Despite its severity and prevalence, the underlying biological mechanisms that drive BPD pathophysiology remain poorly understood. Moreover, although it is known that psychotherapy is effective in symptom management, the biological effects of this type of treatment remain largely unexplored. This study builds upon...
Chronic alcohol consumption alters the morpho-functional characteristics of skeletal muscle, causing pain, chronic inflammation and loss of muscle mass, which in terms of skeletal fiber seems to be related to micronutrient deficiency. Based on the gut-muscle axis, alcohol-induced dysbiosis alters the composition of the intestinal microbiota, promoting its intestinal permeability and allowing the passage of microbial products, including lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in the bloodstream. Endotoxins ...
The quality of indoor environments significantly affects occupants' well-being, with thermal conditions playing a vital role in health, work efficiency, and energy consumption. Traditional thermal comfort models rely on steady-state assumptions, failing to account for dynamic physiological responses to environmental changes. To address this gap, recent research has focused on developing Personal Comfort Models (PCMs) based on physiological data from wearable sensors. This thesis explores the ...