Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo delivers research overview in international BRAIN lecture series

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man on a treadmill during an exercise-related research study

For the weekly Brain’s Resilience And Intelligence Networks (BRAIN) international lecture series, Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD, shared an overview of his research into physical fitness, exercise, and Alzheimer’s disease progression. 

The lecture series emphasizes research in cognitive resilience and neuroimaging and seeks to illuminate the structural and functional networks that form the basis of resilience, which Okonkwo defined as the brain’s capacity for maintaining normal functioning despite the presence of pathology. In his talk “Resilience through the Fitness Glass,” Okonkwo discussed the emergence of physical activity research as an area of resilience to Alzheimer’s disease symptoms and detailed his lab’s pilot study, aeRobic Exercise And Cognitive Health (REACH). This study explored the feasibility of randomized, controlled trials to determine the connection between exercising and measurable indices of brain health, like brain glucose metabolism and cognitive performance. 

Story by Tyler Fox