Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory

Their research primarily employs neuroelectric measurement to study the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function. They initially focused on older adults to gain a better understanding of factors that relate to the increased cognitive health and effective functioning during later stages of the human lifespan. It is well-founded that efficiency of cognitive performance declines with advancing age leading to profound decrements in older adults’ quality of life. However, physical activity has emerged as one factor that positively contributes to the efficiency of older adults’ cognitive performance. This relationship appears to be especially significant when older adults are challenged with tasks that are more complex or effortful, such as those requiring extensive amounts of executive control (e.g., processes involved in scheduling, planning, inhibition).

Interestingly, their research has found that prolonged participation in cardiovascular exercise may protect against cognitive decrements associated with aging, especially for tasks with larger executive control components. Using both cross-sectional comparisons and randomized control interventions, they have examined neuroelectric (i.e., event-related brain potentials – ERPs) indices of cognitive function. Collectively, findings from their research suggest that physical activity may be beneficially related to cognitive function during older adulthood.