I have numerous research interests, but the theme of my lab is "Use it and Improve It" (a phrase adapted from the Malcom Randall VA Brain Rehabilitation Research Center.

The objective of my research is to understand how physical activity improves whole health in older adults with a specific focus on changes in the central nervous system. My work investigates the effects of aerobic exercise on cognitive and motor performance using modern neuroimaging and neurostimulation techniques. My laboratory is evaluating the effects of short-term (12 weeks) and acute (single bout) exercise programs on skill acquisition. The lab employs functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRS), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to explore changes in cortical excitability before and after behavioral and exercise interventions.

My research is particularly focused on neurotransmitter changes due to aging and how this may affect functional performance. GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human central nervous system. My present focus is on how GABA density and receptor function are affected by lifestyle interventions. The lab's central hypothesis is that increased levels of physical actvity in previously sedentary adults changes cortical excitability resulting in improved motor skill acquistion and retention and cognitive capacity in older adults.