From Exercise Physiology to Network Physiology of Exercise

Abstract

Exercise physiology (EP) and its main research directions, strongly influenced by reductionism from its origins, have progressively evolved toward Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Genetics, and OMICS technologies. Although these technologies may be based on dynamic approaches, the dominant research methodology in EP, and recent specialties such as Molecular Exercise Physiology and Integrative Exercise Physiology, keep focused on non-dynamical bottom-up statistical inference techniques. Inspired by the new field of Network Physiology and Complex Systems Science, Network Physiology of Exercise emerges to transform the theoretical assumptions, the research program, and the practical applications of EP, with relevant consequences on health status, exercise, and sport performance. Through an interdisciplinary work with diverse disciplines such as bioinformatics, data science, applied mathematics, statistical physics, complex systems science, and nonlinear dynamics, Network Physiology of Exercise focuses the research efforts on improving the understanding of different exercise-related phenomena studying the nested dynamics of the vertical and horizontal physiological network interactions. After reviewing the EP evolution during the last decades and discussing their main theoretical and methodological limitations from the lens of Complex Networks Science, we explain the potential impact of the emerging field of Network Physiology of Exercise and the most relevant data analysis techniques and evaluation tools used until now.