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Brian L. Tracy, Ph.D.

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Research Interests

• Aging of the neuromuscular system.
• Control of hand, arm, and lower limb muscle contractions in elderly adults.
• Neural mechanisms underlying reduced control of muscle contractions in elderly adults.
• Sarcopenia, frailty, and the effects of exercise training and physical activity on the preservation of neuromuscular function in aging.

Education

• 1998, Ph.D., Exercise Physiology/Aging, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
• 1992, M.S., Exercise Physiology, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Colorado State University, CO.
• 1988, B.S., Exercise and Sport Science, Minor - Anatomical Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.

Professional Experience

• 2003 - present, Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University.
• 1997-2002, Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.
• 1994-1997, Pre-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
• 1992-1994, Laboratory Assistant, Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
• 1992-1993, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
• 1990-1991, Part-time Faculty - Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Colorado State University, CO.
• 1988-1990, Graduate Teaching Assistant - Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Colorado State University, CO.
• 1987-1990, Adult Fitness Program, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Colorado State University, CO.
• 1988, Undergraduate Internship - Institute of Aerobics Research - The Cooper Aerobics Center, Dallas, TX.
• 1987-1988, Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.

Honors and Awards

• 2002-2007, Research Career Award (K01) - National Institute on Aging, NIH.
• 1999-2002, Individual National Research Service Award (F32) - National Institute on Aging, NIH.
• 1994-1997, Pre-doctoral Institutional National Research Service Award, Baltimore VA Medical Center, GRECC.
• 1990, Biomedical Research Support Grant - Colorado State University.

Professional Societies

• (1999 – present) American Physiological Society
• (1988 – present) American College of Sports Medicine
• (2002 – present) Society for Neuroscience
• (1989 – 1992, 1997 – present) Rocky Mountain Chapter of ACSM
• (2003 – present) Front Range Neuroscience Group

Offices held in professional societies

• (2006-2009) Regional Chapter Representative to National ACSM for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine
• (2005) Past-President (2nd term), Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine
• (2004) President (2nd term), Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine
• (2004) Past-President, Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine
• (2003) President, Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine
• (2002) President elect, Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine
• (2001) Ex-oficio board member, Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine

Selected Recent Publications

Invited Chapters or Reviews

• Christou EA, and Tracy BL.  “Aging and the Variability of Motor Output”, in: Movement System Variability, editors K. Davids, S. Bennett, and K. Newell, Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, 2006.
• Christou EA, Tracy BL, & Enoka RM.  “The Steadiness of Lengthening Contractions”, in: Progress in Motor Control II, editor, Mark L. Latash, Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, 2002

Original Research Articles

• Welsh SJ, Dinenno DV, and Tracy BL.  Variability of quadriceps femoris motor neuron discharge and muscle force in human aging.  Experimental Brain Research, in press, 2006, DOI : 10.1007/s00221-006-0785-z

• Tracy BL, Dinenno DV, Jorgensen B, Welsh SJ.  Aging, visuomotor correction, and force fluctuations in large muscles.  Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, in press, 2006.

• Tracy BL, Mehoudar, PD, and Ortega JD.  The amplitude of force variability is correlated in the knee extensor and elbow flexor muscles.  Experimental Brain Research 176(3):448-64.

• Tracy BL, and Enoka RM.  Steadiness training with light loads in the knee extensors of elderly adults.  Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 38(4):735-745, 2006.  

• Martel GF, Roth SM, Ivey FM, Lemmer JT, Tracy BL, Hurlbut DE, Metter EJ, Hurley BF, and Rogers MA.  Age and sex affect human muscle fibre adaptation to heavy-resistance strength training.  Experimental Physiology 91(2): 457-64, 2006.

• Tracy BL, Maluf KS, Stephenson JL, Hunter SK, and Enoka RM.  Variability of motor unit discharge and force fluctuations across a range of muscle forces in older adults.  Muscle and Nerve 32, 533-540, 2005.

• Manini, TM, Clark BC, Tracy BL, Burke J, and Ploutz-Snyder L.  Resistance and functional training reduces knee extensor position fluctuations in functionally limited older adults.  European Journal of Applied Physiology 95(5-6), 436-446, 2005.

• Tracy BL, Byrnes WC, and Enoka RM.  Strength training reduces force fluctuations during anisometric contractions of the quadriceps femoris muscle in old adults. Journal of Applied Physiology 96(4):1530-40, 2004.

• Tracy BL, Ivey FM, Metter EJ, Fleg JL, Siegel EL, and BF Hurley.  A More Efficient MRI-based Strategy for Measuring Quadriceps Muscle Volume with Strength Training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 35(3): 425-433, 2003.

• RM Enoka, EA Christou, SK Hunter, KW Kornatz, JG Semmler, AM Taylor, and BL Tracy.  Mechanisms that Contribute to Differences in Motor Performance Between Young and Old Adults.  Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology 13: 1-12, 2003 

• Tracy BL and Enoka RM.  Older adults are less steady during submaximal isometric contractions with the knee extensor muscles. Journal of Applied Physiology 92: 1004-1012, 2001.

• Roth SM, Martel GF, Ivey FM, Lemmer JT, Tracy BL, Metter EJ, Hurley BF, Rogers MA.  Skeletal muscle satellite cell characteristics in young and older men and women after heavy resistance strength training. Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences 56A (6): B240-B247, 2001.

• FM Ivey, SM Roth, RE Ferrell,  BL Tracy, JT Lemmer, DE Hurlbut, GF Martel, EL Siegel, JL Fozard, EJ Metter, J L Fleg, & BF Hurley.  Effects of Age, Gender, and Myostatin Genotype on the Hypertrophic Response to Heavy Resistance Strength Training.  Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences 55A(11), M641-M648, 2000.

• FM Ivey, BL Tracy, JT Lemmer, M. NessAiver, EJ Metter, JL Fozard, & BF Hurley.  Effects of Strength Training and Detraining on Muscle Quality: Age and Gender Comparisons.  Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences 55A(3), B152-B157, 2000.

• Schiller BC, Casas YG, Tracy BL, DeSouza CA, & DR Seals.  Age-Related Declines in Leg Strength and Physical Performance in Healthy Caucasian and Hispanic Women.  Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences 55A: B563-B569, 2000.

• Lemmer JT, Hurlbut DE, Martel GF, Tracy BL, Ivey FM, Metter EJ, Fozard JL, Fleg JL, Hurley BF.  Age and Gender Reponses to Strength Training and Detraining.  Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 32(8): 1505-1512, 2000.

• Rhea PL, Ryan AS, Nicklas B, Gordon PL, Tracy BL, Graham W, Pratley RE, Goldberg AP, Hurley, BF.  Effects of Strength Training With and Without Weight Loss on Lipoprotein-lipid levels in Postmenopausal Women.  Clinical Exercise Physiology 1(3): 138-144, 1999.

• Conwit RA, Stashuk D, Tracy BL, McHugh M, Brown WF, Metter EJ.  The Relationship of Motor Unit Size, Firing Rate, and Force.  Clinical Neurophysiology 110(7): 1270-1275, 1999.

• SM Roth, GF Martel, FM Ivey, JT Lemmer, BL Tracy, DE Hurlbut, EJ Metter, BF Hurley, & MA Rogers.  Ultrastructural Muscle Damage in Young vs. Older Men Following High Volume, Heavy Resistance Strength Training.  Journal of Applied Physiology  86(6): 1833-1840, 1999.

• B.L. Tracy, F.I. Ivey, D. Hurlbut, G.F. Martel, J.T. Lemmer, E.L. Siegel, E.J. Metter, J.L. Fozard, J.L. Fleg, & B.F. Hurley.  Muscle Quality. II. Effects of Strength Training in 65- to 75-yr-old Men and Women.  Journal of Applied Physiology, 86(1): 195-201, 1999

• Conwit, R.A., Tracy, B.L., Cowl, A., McHugh, M., Stashuk, D., Brown, W.F., & Metter, E.J.   Short Report:  Firing rate analysis using decomposition-enhanced spike-triggered averaging in the quadriceps femoris.  Muscle and Nerve, 21, 1338-1340, 1998.

• Conwit, R.A., Tracy, B.L., Cowl, A., McHugh, M., Stashuk, D., Brown, W.F., & Metter, E.J.  Decomposition-enhanced spike triggered averaging: contraction level effects.  Muscle and Nerve 20: 976-982, 1997.