Professor Jim Cotter is an exercise and environmental physiologist, working in the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Otago.

His research interests lie in:

• Acute and adaptive effects of the discrete stressors that comprise exercise and natural environments;
• Heat stress and dehydration
• Cerebrovascular health
• Behaviour in stress physiology

Jim’s recent and current focus is on the extent and mechanisms by which:

• different forms and patterns of heat stress affect human tolerance and adaptation;
• physical activity and environmental stressors affect the human brain; and
• behaviour and chronic illnesses modulate the acute and adaptive effects of heat stress.
• Heat, humidity and dehydration act alone and together on work tolerance.

Expertise:

• Exercise physiology
• Environmental physiology

Email:        jim.cotter@otago.ac.nz

Relevant publications:

Gibbons, T.D., Ainslie, P.N., Thomas, K.N., Wilson, L.C., Akerman, A.P., Donnelly, J. Campbell, H.A. & and Cotter, J.D. (2021) Influence of mode and dose of heat stress on cerebral blood flow, intracranial pressure and thermal tolerance in humans. Journal of Physiology, Feb 14. doi: 10.1113/JP280970. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33586133

Peddie, M.C., Kessell, C., Bergen. T., Gibbons, T.D., Campbell, H.A., Cotter, J.D., Nancy Rehrer, Thomas, K.N. (2021) The effects of prolonged sitting, prolonged standing, and activity breaks on vascular function, and postprandial glucose and insulin responses: A randomised crossover trial. Plos-ONE. (Accepted 18 Dec 2020). PONE-D-20-21865R1

Gibbons, T.D., Tymko, M.M., Thomas, K.N., Wilson, L.C., Stembridge, M., Caldwell, H.G., Howe, C.A., Hoiland, R.L., Akerman, A.P., Dawkins, T.G., Patrician, A., Coombs, G.B., Gasho, C., Stacey, B., Ainslie, P.N. & and Cotter, J.D. (2020) Global REACH 2018: The influence of acute and chronic hypoxia on cerebral haemodynamics and related functional outcomes during cold and heat stress. Journal of Physiology. 598(2): 265-284.

Akerman, A.P., Thomas, K.N., van Rij. A.M. & Cotter, J.D. (2019) Heat therapy vs. supervised exercise therapy for peripheral arterial disease: a 12-week randomized, controlled trial. American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 316 (6), H1495-H1506 https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00151.2019

Cross Adaptation and Cross Tolerance in Human Health and Disease. (2018). Lee, B.J., Gibson, O.R., Thake, C.D., Tipton, M., Hawley, J.A. & Cotter, J.D. Frontiers in Physiology. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01827.

Cotter, J.D. & Tipton, M.J. (2014) Moving in extreme environments: What’s extreme and who decides? Extreme Physiology and Medicine. 3: 11-14.