Our Research
Accelerated Age-related Cognitive Decline: Impact of Exercise on Executive Function and Neuroplasticity (EXEC Study)
Current Projects
Funded by the National Institute of Health-National Institute of Aging
Why do we do what we do? (funded by the National Institute of Health-National Institute of Aging)
This study is being conducted to better understand how people’s daily life, including how they feel and what they experience, affects their dietary habits and their daily physical activity, including commuting to and from work, and the number of stresses they feel. The study is in collaboration with other researchers at Columbia University, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Using daily physical activity and GPS location data we are creating a daily living activity space over one month. Nutrition and physical activity are measured using ecological momentary data collection via daily surveys during randomized time intervals several times daily, and via food detailed recall questionnaire. We obtain surveys before eating and drinking, or participating in exercise activities, and participants send photos of their foods and drinks they consume. This study is in the data analysis phase and is the first to create activity spaces outside of the neighborhood and will provide a unique insight into multiple factors that play a role in healthy aging.
Every day Environment and Experiences (E3) study
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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and alterations in brain structure and function beyond those expected with normal aging. Vascular dysfunction may represent an important mechanistic link between kidney and brain health, with impaired vascular reactivity and cerebral perfusion potentially contributing to disruption of white matter integrity and cognitive decline.
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The EXEC Study investigates the effects of a 24-week progressive walking intervention in older adults with moderate CKD. EXEC examines whether increasing habitual aerobic physical activity can improve systemic and cerebrovascular function and whether these physiological adaptations are associated with changes in brain structure, cerebral blood flow, and cognitive performance.
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EXEC integrates vascular assessments, advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neurocognitive testing, clinical measures of kidney function, and objective physical-activity monitoring. Neuroimaging measures include cerebral blood flow and white matter structural integrity and connectivity, allowing us to investigate relationships among vascular adaptation, cerebral perfusion, brain microstructure, and cognition. This multimodal approach is designed to characterize not only whether exercise influences brain health in CKD, but also the physiological pathways through which these changes may occur.
Publications
Our growing publications list is in the works! For now check out google scholar to see our’s teams individual work.
Posters & Presentations
See examples of our work
Collaborate
If you are interested in collaborating or have questions about our research, please fill this form out and we will schedule a time to meet.
If you prefer, send us and email directly;
Bronaslab@georgetown.edu