New online study explores link between healthy brains and bodies

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto (Pexels) Neuroscientist Adrian Owen partners with U.K. science museum in research driven by immersive video games So little is understood about the dialogue between the body and the brain. It might seem obvious that our physical state can affect our ability to think, but there are many fundamental questions neuroscientists would still like to answer-with your help. A new Western-led study officially launched today exploring the elusive relationship between physical and cognitive health. Adrian Owen Driven by a pioneering series of online brain games, the study will provide invaluable data and insight for world-renowned neuroscientist Adrian Owen and his team to discover more about the links between the body and the brain. "What we hope to do is to establish definitively whether exercise is beneficial for cognition function, and if so, which cognitive functions benefit most," said Owen, professor of cognitive neuroscience and imaging at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the department of psychology in the Faculty of Social Science. "We will also look at how this may vary across the lifespan. If exercise is good for your brain, does it confer the same benefits in the old and the young?" Each completed online survey also provides participants with instant results about how their own brain and body functions while Owen and his fellow neuroscientists can identify activities and lifestyle habits that could improve or maintain life-long functioning of the brain.