PI: Jennifer Reed
Co-PIs: Ann-Marie Julien; Natalia Jawarska
Brain health can change across the lifespan through damage/deteriorations to brain structures, declines in brain function and cognitive processes with age, and worsened mental health. These processes are key contributors to disability and one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with women disproportionally more affected by certain brain conditions than men. Heart disease, which is the leading cause of premature death in Canadian women, also increases the risk of developing brain conditions, likely due to brain-heart coupling. Aerobic exercise may prevent brain health declines. Yet, the effect of different exercise intensities and strategies remains unclear. This project aims to assess the effect of different types of exercise (3x/week, 12 weeks, high-intensity-interval training [HIIT] vs. moderate-intensity continuous training [MICT]) on brain activity in areas involved with memory and learning (i.e., hippocampus and frontal-cortex mediated functions), cerebral blood flow, neurocognitive function, and cardiac function. We hypothesize that HIIT will lead to greater improvements in these outcomes compared to MICT. Our proposal will leverage the resources of a recently launched RCT assessing virtually-delivered exercise programs for women with heart disease. This proposal includes patient partners, Indigenous engagement strategies, and knowledge translation (KT) activities including patients, healthcare professionals, caregivers, researchers, and community members.