RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! CHILDHOOD PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
EFFECTS ON BRAIN & COGNITION
Professor Charles Hillman
Northeastern University
Biography: Professor Charles Hillman, Ph.D., currently holds
appointments in the Department of Psychology and the Department of
Health Sciences at Northeastern University. He has been appointed to
the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, which is
comprised of some of the country’s most accomplished physical activity
and health experts, and is charged with providing science-based
guidance on how children and adults can improve their health through
physical activity. Prior to this, Chuck was at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign in the Departments of Kinesiology and Community
Health, Psychology, and Internal Medicine, and was also the director of
the University’s Neurocognitive Kinesiology Laboratory. Chuck’s
research and professional interests focus on exercise psychology and psychophysiology, cognitive
neuroscience, and physical activity and cognition across the lifespan, with a special emphasis on
children and youth. Chuck is an internationally-recognized researcher and expert on the connection
between physical activity, cognition, and learning.
Abstract: Professor Hillman’s presentation will focus on the relationship between both acute and
chronic physical activity participation and cognitive function from a neuroimaging perspective. Using
this approach, he has examined the relationship of cardiovascular activity on underlying processes
involved in attention, memory, and cognitive control. Generally, results from this line of research have
suggested that cardiovascular activity benefits cognitive processing for tasks that require greater
amounts of cognitive control; an effect that is less pronounced for tasks requiring lesser amounts of
cognitive control. Accordingly, his findings indicate that cardiovascular activity may have a greater
effect on cognitive processes that are more effortful, rather than a general benefit on overall cognitive
function. Professor Hillman will also provide a brief overview of the ‘Burn 2 Learn’ program, which will
be evaluated by researchers from the University of Newcastle, Northeastern University and Australian
Catholic University in NSW secondary schools in 2018. Burn 2 Learn is a time efficient solution for
increasing vigorous physical activity and improving health and cognitive function in senior school
students.
WHERE: Ian Thorpe Theatre, NSWIS Building 6B, Figtree Drive, Homebush
WHEN: Friday 5 May 2017
COST: Free