Research Interests
Research
In-Progress (Data Collection)
Research
In-Progress (Manuscript Preparation)
Dr. Etnier’s research interests lie in the field of Exercise Psychology. Her primary research focus is in the area of physical activity / aerobic fitness and cognition. In particular, she is interested in designing studies to identify the mechanisms underlying the observed positive relationship between physical activity / aerobic fitness and cognitive function. Dr. Etnier is skilled in the use of meta-analytic techniques to statistically review empirical studies, and has also used electroencephalography (EEG) to incorporate the psychophysiological measures of event-related potentials (ERPs) and spectral frequency into her research.
Planned Research
Neuroanatomical substrates of aging and cognitive decline
To be submitted for funding to the National Institutes of Health in March 2005
The purpose of this study is to identify the baseline levels and one year declines of gray and white matter structures associated with cross-sectional, age-related differences in cognitive function; to identify the baseline levels and one year declines of gray and white matter structures associated with longitudinal cognitive declines in aging; to determine how the regional distribution and severity of brain changes associated with cognitive aging are influenced by variation in blood pressure, aerobic fitness level, and APOE genotype; and to determine how these variables predict subsequent cognitive decline.
Cortisol and VO2 max as mediators of cognitive outcomes
To be submitted for funding to the National Institutes of Health in February 2005
The primary goal of the proposed research is to use a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the potential mediating effects of aerobic fitness and the daily hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress response on the relationship between the behavior of PA and cognitive performance in older adults.
Physical activity and
fibromyalgia syndrome: Exercise as a
means of decreasing “brain fog”?
Submitted for internal funding from UNCG.
The primary purpose of this
study is to use a true-experimental design to provide a causal test of the
influence of physical activity on cognitive performance in fibromyalgia
syndrome (FMS) patients. A secondary purpose of this study is to examine potential
mediators of this relationship. Community-dwelling adults diagnosed with FMS
will participate in this study. For this pilot study, 20 FMS patients will be
randomly assigned to either an exercise condition or a delayed-treatment
condition. The exercise program will consist of walking and strength training
and will be performed for 60 minutes, three times per week, for 6 months.
Following the initial 6-months, the delayed-treatment participants will be
invited to join the exercise protocol for a 6-month period. Aerobic fitness,
cognitive performance, depression, fatigue, pain, and symptoms of FMS will be
assessed at baseline and at 6-month intervals. It is hypothesized that
cognitive performance will improve as a function of exercise participation and
that depression, fatigue, pain, and aerobic fitness will partially mediate
these results.
Research In-Progress (Data Collection)
Immediate and delayed cognitive
responses to acute physical activity in older adults
We are hypothesizing that cognitive performance in older adults will increase immediately following an acute bout of moderate intensity exercise. Further, we are trying to determine the duration of this increase in cognitive performance. By testing cognition at various time intervals following the acute bout of moderately intense exercise, we hope to determine the duration of increased or elevated cognition. Conclusions derived from this study will have immediate applied implications, since all of the above-mentioned cognitive skills are transferable to daily activities that older people encounter, such as driving, dressing, and shopping.
The Effect of Arousal on
Fractionated Reaction Time
The primary goal of this study is to reexamine the Inverted-U arousal hypothesis as it relates to cognitive performance. A secondary goal is to further the literature by fractionating reaction time into its central and peripheral components. Lastly, we will examine the relationship among exercise intensity, multidimensional arousal, and cognitive performance.
Affective Responses to Repeated
Bouts of Acute Exercise
Participants who are enrolled in a chronic exercise study will complete measures of mood immediately following the performance of their exercise sessions. The time course of the responses will be examined to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between physical activity participation and mood.
A Dose-Response Examination of the
Psychological Benefits of Chronic Exercise
Participants were randomly assigned to one of two chronic exercise interventions that differed with respect to the duration of the exercise bouts. The impact of exercise duration on psychological variables will be examined at monthly intervals over the course of a 6-month intervention.
Research In-Progress (Manuscript
Preparation)
Predicting individual risk of
cognitive decline in women (1 R03 AG22621-01).
Funded by the National Institute on Aging Small Grant Program.
The purpose of this study is to examine the interactive effects of physical activity and aerobic fitness with ApoE-4 genotype to impact the cognitive performance of post-menopausal women. Additionally, brain imaging will be used to examine the structural changes in the brain that may underlie any observed relationships.
Aerobic fitness and cognition: A meta-analytic examination of the
cardiovascular hypothesis.
The purpose of this meta-analytic review is to statistically test the relationship between cardiovascular fitness and cognitive performance. Twenty-eight empirical studies were located that provided sufficient statistical data to calculate effect sizes for cardiovascular fitness and for cognitive performance. Regression analyses were then used to examine the relationship between the change in cardiovascular fitness and the change in cognitive performance.