Dr. J. Carson Smith will discusses how exercise, physical activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness impact brain networks that govern cognition and memory. Dr. Smith is Professor and Director of the Exercise for Brain Health Laboratory in the Department of Kinesiology and the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland.

About the Speaker: Smith graduated summa cum laude with a double major in Psychology and Exercise Science from Arizona State University. He went on to complete his doctoral degree in Kinesiology at the University of Georgia, and then a post-doctoral fellowship in Affective Neuroscience at the University of Florida. Dr. Smith is focused on understanding how exercise and physical activity, from single sessions of exercise to long-term exercise training, affect human brain function and cognition, particularly in older adults. Dr. Smith's investigations use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neuropsychological testing, and analyses of blood biomarkers to document how exercise protects the brain from age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Dr. Smith and his team of collaborators are currently interested in the potential efficacy for acute and chronic exercise to affect brain function and protect memory in healthy older adults at increased genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. His research is currently funded by the NIH-National Institute on Aging.

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