Professor Emma Hodson-Tole

My profile

Biography

I obtained my Ph.D. in biomechanics and muscle physiology from University of London (Structure & Motion Laboratory, The Royal Veterinary College) in 2007. I was then a postdoctoral fellow in The School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) before being awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship, from The Wellcome Trust, and returning to the UK to work at Manchester Metropolitan University where I am currently Professor of Neuromuscular Biomechanics.

My research investigates the functional relationships between anatomical, mechanical and physiological characteristics of skeletal muscle in healthy humans and those living with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Motor Neurone Disease. To do this I am leading development and application of new approaches to extract information from, and combine the use of, ultrasound imaging and electromyographic data. The overarching aim of my work is to:

  • Provide innovative tools to transform our ability to measure and monitor skeletal muscle, by fusing the use of imaging and electrophysiology modalities and increasing the information extracted from them
  • Use these tools to transform understanding of mechanisms of neuro-muscular function in health and disease
  • Support development of the next generation of scientists, engineers and healthcare providers

Interests and expertise

  • Functional significance of skeletal muscle anatomy and physiology
  • Diagnosis & monitoring neurodegenerative disease
  • Motor unit structure and recruitment strategies
  • Role of variability in neuro-motor control and biomechanics
  • Biomedical imaging: motor units to whole muscle

Projects

Developing remote monitoring tools for assessing disease progression in Motor Neurone Disease

Funder: The MND Association

We are investigating whether MND causes unique changes in physical behaviours and if these can be used to predict if someone has MND and how quickly it may progress.

Currently there is a lack of methods to accurately and frequently measure changes in health and wellbeing as MND progresses. Recent advances in technology means that there are now methods of recording physical behaviour patterns in daily life. These measures of physical activity have been shown to indicate progression and response to treatment in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease. However, there have only been two studies that have explored the use of these measures in people with MND. This project will investigate whether MND causes unique changes in physical behaviour that can be used to identify if someone has MND and their stage of the disease, and whether changes in physical behaviour can be used to predict how quickly the disease will progress in people with MND.

Improving measurement of the effects of MND will enable more informed decisions about personalised care to be made and the effects of new potential treatments to be better evaluated.

Project team: Nina Mitic (PhD student), Prof. Gladys Pearson, Prof. Yonghong Peng, Dr. Amina Chaouch (MND Care Centre, Salford Royal Hospital), Prof. Chris McDermott (SITraN, University of Sheffield)

Star Cells

Star Cells is a two part project developing and performing eye catching virtual and live dance performances inspired by exciting neurophysiology research taking place at Manchester Metropolitan University and Imperial College and sponsored by The Physiological Society.

Project Collaborators include: Combination Dance, Access Dance

Teaching

My teaching stems from my research interests, focusing on measurement and analysis of skeletal muscle function and behaviours of the peripheral nervous system. I use discussion groups, practicals and lectures to explore topics spanning excitation and contraction of single muscle fibres and differences seen between different fibre types (e.g., fast versus slow), through to considering what features of muscle mechanical force production may limit performance of sporting tasks.

I regularly supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students in projects exploring factors that influence skeletal muscle function (e.g., ageing, obesity, neurodegeneration) and welcome enquiries from anyone interested in joining my team.

Courses

Research outputs

My research portfolio focuses on investigating skeletal muscle form and function, inspired by a life-long fascination in physical movement of animals including humans.

As appropriate functioning of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system is essential for survival (e.g. swallowing, breathing) and is required for any form of physical activity or exercise I have developed and applied new approaches to study integrated function of the nervous and muscle systems.

This means I use a highly multi-disciplinary approach within my research programme, combining physiological and biomechanical measurements of posture and gait with elements of signal processing, computer vision, information theory and in silico modelling.