About our Research

Our research is bringing together world-leading expertise in neuroimaging, cognitive psychology, immunology, and exercise and cerebrovascular physiology to significantly advance current understanding of the benefits of exercise on brain and cognitive health.

Funds have been awarded to bring together world leading expertise across three institutions (Birmingham, Illinois and Nottingham) to plan and prepare a proposal to examine the effectiveness of exercise training on brain and cognitive health.

The proposal is novel in its aim to determine the impact of a genetic modulator linked to the development of neurodegenerative disease (ApoE4) on responsiveness to exercise training in sedentary adults. Four planning days will be hosted within the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences (Dr Lucas and Dr Andy Philp), with other members of the University of Birmingham collaboration joining from Psychology (Professor Kim Shapiro, Dr Ali Mazaheri) and the Medical School (Professor Janet Lord), as well as colleagues from University of Nottingham (Dr Susan Francis and Dr Karen Mullinger). The Director of the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign (Professor Arthur Kramer), and two colleagues (Dr Michelle Voss and Prof Edward McAuley) will travel to Birmingham for this workshop. The proposed activity is intended to underpin an application to Horizon 2020 for one of their identified ageing calls. The proposed activity will strengthen the BRIDGE collaboration with the Beckman Institute at Illinois.

Researchers

Birmingham
Dr Sam Lucas
Dr Andy Philp
Professor Kim Shapiro
Dr Ali Mazaheri
Professor Janet Lord

Illinois
Professor Arthur Kramer
Dr Michelle Voss
Professor Edward McAuley

Nottingham
Dr Susan Francis Dr Karen Mullinger