About The PAC Lab
Both single sessions of physical activity and physical activity programs have been shown to be causally linked to improvements in cognitive performance. However, we do not have a good understanding of how to use physical activity to achieve the greatest cognitive benefits.
Faculty, staff, and students in the PAC Lab are pursuing questions related to the mechanisms underlying these effects, the dose response nature of the effects, and the specific populations for whom exercise is most beneficial. Learn more about the lab’s Lines of Research.
Research conducted in this lab is often interdisciplinary in nature with on-going collaborations with faculty members in Applied Neuromechanics, Exercise Physiology, Gerontology, Human Development and Family Studies, Nutrition, and Psychology.
Current Projects
Inspiring Seniors Toward Exercise Promotion
NOW ENROLLING! iSTEP is a federally funded research project exploring the process and benefits of exercise promotion in older adults. We need adults, 65 and older, who are exercising less than 60 minutes/week to join a no-cost exercise program for 6 months. Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
Physical Activity and Alzheimer’s Disease II
PAAD2 is a federally funded research project that explores the protective benefit of exercise for people with a family history of Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia. PAAD2 is no longer recruiting new participants; Enrollment was completed October 2023. Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
Previous Projects
Exercise on Memory and Brain Activity (2024)
To understand the effect of exercise on memory and brain activity in older adults, adults ages 60-75 who engage in at least 90 minutes/week of physical activity participate in a series of cognitive tasks while undergoing MRI scanning. This study is no longer recruiting new participants. Graduate Student Dissertation Study, Sam Dubois.
