Tom D. Brutsaert

Office: Arts & Sciences Building, Room 115
Ph: (518) 442-7769
E-mail: tbrutsae@albany.edu

Ph.D., Cornell University, 1997

Interests: Biological anthropology, adaptation to high altitude, exercise and energetics, nutrition
Areas: The Andes

Chair, Graduate Affairs Committee

Curriculum Vitae

Course Syllabi

ANT 211: Human Population Biology

ANT 415/515: Nutritional Anthropology

ANT 416: Exercise Physiology

Research Statement

I'm a human biologist with broad interests in human adaptation, high altitude, human energetics, nutrition, and human performance. I have done field-based studies in Central Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, and Italy. I focus on how individuals and populations adapt to chronic hypobaric hypoxia, including genotypic, phenotypic, and bio-cultural modes of adaptation. The central Andes has been the focus of most of this research and represents the ideal place to address the questions above. The altitude of the region is impressive (12,000-13,000 feet), and we study Native American populations who have lived there for thousands of years. From a physiological point of view, this is a difficult place to make a living. The oxygen availability at 12,000 feet is only about 2/3rds that found at sea level, and this stresses the oxygen transport system i.e., the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and muscle metabolic systems. If you have ever exercised at high altitude you know first-hand what I mean. Traditionally biological anthropologists been concerned with the effects of hypoxia (low oxygen) on human growth, human reproductive capacity, demography, and physical work capacity. I'm especially interested in the exercise performance of native groups. Our most recent studies (in collaboration with Mark D. Shriver, Pennsylvania State University, and Esteban J. Parra, University of Toronto) have focused on the genetic admixture level (which we assess with DNA markers) and physical performance traits in Peruvian Quechua.

I have a Masters degree in Nutrition (1993) and a Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology (1997) from Cornell University. I did post-doctoral work in the Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego (1998-2000).

I like the picture of the soccer player below, because it encapsulates many of my research interests.

This photo was taken in the Italian Alps during a two month expedition where we looked at high altitude pulmonary edema in recreational mountain climbers at over 15,00 feet. How else do you get research equipment to these places?

Select Publications

Articles and Book Chapters

2004
Tang K, Breen EC, Wagner H, Brutsaert TD, Gassmann M, Wagner PD. HIF and VEGF relationships in response to hypoxia and sciatic nerve stimulation in rat gastrocnemius. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 144(1):71-80.

Brutsaert TD, Haas JD, and Spielvogel H. Absence of work efficiency differences during cycle ergometry exercise in Bolivian Aymara. High Altitude Medicine and Biology. 5(1):41-60.

Moore LG, Bemis L, Shriver M, Hickler B, Brutsaert TD, Parra EJ, and E Vargas. Maternal Adaptation to high-altitude pregnancy: an experiment of nature. Placenta. Apr; 25 suppl., S60-70.

Brutsaert TD, Parra EJ, Shriver M, Gamboa A, Palacios JA, Rivera M , Rodriguez I , and F León-Velarde. Effects of birth place and individual genetic admixture on lung volume and exercise phenotypes of Peruvian Quechua. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 123(4):390-398.

2003
Brutsaert TD, Parra EJ, Shriver M, Gamboa A, Palacios JA, Rivera M, Rodriguez I, and F León-Velarde. Effects of birth place and individual genetic admixture on lung volume and exercise phenotypes of Peruvian Quechua. American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Brutsaert TD, Parra EJ, Shriver MD, Gamboa A, Palacios JA, Rivera M, Rodriguez I, and F León-Velarde. Spanish genetic admixture is associated with larger VO2max decrement from sea level to 4,338 meters in Peruvian Quechua. Journal of Applied Physiology.95:519-528

Brutsaert TD, Hernandez-Cordero S, Viola T, Hughes G, Rivera J, and JD Haas. Iron supplementation improves progressive fatigue resistance during dynamic knee extensor exercise in iron depleted non-anemic women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 77(2): 441-8.

2002
Brutsaert TD, Gavin TP, Fu Z, Breen E, Tang K, Mathieu-Costello O, and Wagner PD. Regional differences in expression of VEGF mRNA in rat gastrocnemius following 1 hr. exercise or electrical stimulation. BioMed Central Physiology 2:8.

Brutsaert TD, Spielvogel H, Caceres E, Araoz M, Chatterton RT, and VJ Vitzthum. Effect of menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance of high- altitude native women at 3600m. Journal of Experimental Biology. 205(2):233-239.

Cremona G., Asnaghi R, Baderna P., Brunetto A., Brutsaert TD., Cavallaro C., Clark T., Cogo A., Donis R., Donner CF., Lanfranchi P., Luks A., Novello N., Panzetta S., Perini L., Putnam M., Spagnolatti L., Wagner H., and PD Wagner. Pulmonary extravascular fluid accumulation in recreational climbers: a prospective study. The Lancet. 359:303-309

2001
Brutsaert TD. Limits on inferring genetic adaptation to high altitude in Himalayan and Andean populations. High Altitude Medicine and Biology. Vol. 2(2): 211-225.

Brutsaert TD. Genetic and environmental adaptation in high altitude natives: conceptual, methodological, and statistical concerns.. In: Hypoxia: From Genes to the Bedside, Advances in Experimental Biology and Medicine (502). R. C. Roach, P. D. Wagner, and P. H. Hackett (Eds.) New York: Kluwer/Plenum Academic, pp. 133-151

2000
Hopkins SR, Barker RC, Brutsaert TD, Gavin TP, Entin P, Olfert IM, Veisel S, and PD Wagner. Pulmonary gas exchange during exercise in women: effects of exercise type and work increment. Journal of Applied Physiology 89: 721-730

Brutsaert TD, Araoz M, Soria R, Spielvogel H, and Haas JD. Higher arterial oxygen saturation during submaximal exercise in Bolivian Aymara compared to European sojourners and Europeans born and raised at high altitude. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 113(2):169-181.

Brutsaert TD, Spielvogel H, Soria R, Araoz M, Caceres E, Buzenet G, Villena M, Paz-Zamora M, and E Vargas. Performance of altitude acclimatized and non-acclimatized professional European football (soccer) players at 3,600m. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online 3(2):28-37.