UCL Centre for Neurorehabilitation Seminar: Kirk I. Erickson

Kirk I. Erickson, Ph.D. Director, Translational Neuroscience, AdventHealth, Orlando, FL, Mardian J. Blair Endowed Chair of Neuroscience, AdventHealth, Orlando, FL, Adjunct Professor, University of Pittsburgh.

This presentation will explore how staying physically active supports brain health as we age, while also addressing why studies in this area have sometimes produced mixed results. A central goal is to make sense of these inconsistencies by highlighting key factors that shape outcomes—such as how much exercise people do, how consistently they stick with it, their baseline health and risk profiles, and how brain and cognitive changes are measured. By placing past findings within this broader context, the talk will offer a clearer framework for understanding what works, for whom, and under what conditions, ultimately helping to guide more personalized and effective exercise recommendations for brain health.

The presentation will also summarize recent progress in understanding how aerobic exercise benefits the brain. Evidence will be discussed across multiple levels, from changes in biological systems—such as growth factors, inflammation, and metabolism—to improvements in brain structure, connectivity, and the cognitive processes that support learning and memory. Importantly, the talk will highlight how individual differences—including age, fitness level, cardiovascular health, and markers of Alzheimer’s disease—may influence how strongly someone responds to exercise.

A key component of the presentation will focus on findings from Investigating Gains in Neurocognition in an Intervention Trial of Exercise (IGNITE), a large, multi-site clinical trial designed to rigorously test the effects of aerobic exercise in older adults. This study provides some of the strongest evidence to date on how factors like exercise dose, duration, and individual characteristics shape brain and cognitive outcomes.

Overall, the evidence points to regular physical activity as a powerful, modifiable behaviour that can meaningfully support brain health, enhance learning and memory, and promote resilience as we grow older.

Dr. Erickson is Director of Translational Neuroscience and Mardian J. Blair Endowed Chair of Neuroscience at the AdventHealth Research Institute. Dr. Erickson’s vast research program focuses on the effects of physical activity on brain health across the lifespan. This research has resulted in > 380 published articles and 15 book chapters. With currently over 66000 citations for his work since 2003 he has been identified by the AD Scientific Index as one of the world’s top 1% most productive scientists.

In the last 10 years, Dr. Erickson’s research has received >$55 million dollars in support including numerous grants from the NIH, the Alzheimer’s Association, and other organizations. He is the Principal Investigator of a Phase III randomized clinical trial examining the impact of exercise on neurocognitive function in late adulthood and a longitudinal follow-up study of this sample. His research resulted in the prestigious Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award from the University of Pittsburgh. He was named a Fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research in 2016 and received a Distinguished Scientist Award by Murdoch University in Australia in 2018.  He has been a Visiting Professor at Murdoch University, the University of South Australia, the University of Granada, and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

Dr. Erickson was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to be an expert on the 2018 U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee and chaired the Brain Health subcommittee. His research has been featured in a long list of print, radio, and electronic media including the New York Times, CNN, BBC News, NPR, Time, and the Wall Street Journal.

Disclosures:

Dr. Erickson is currently a Scientific Advisor for MedRhythms, Inc., Neo Auvra, Inc, and Nestre, Inc.