Dr. Kirk Erickon’s key take-home messages from ISENS conference

In July 2026, Dr. Kirk Erickson, a neuroscientist at AdventHealth Research Institute and former professor at the University of Pittsburgh, took to the stage at one of the most highly regarded conferences in exercise neuroscience: the Inaugural International Society for Exercise Neuroscience (ISENS). Held in London (UK), the conference brought together researchers from around the world each working across the fields of neuroscience, physiology, psychology, medicine, technology and public health. They’re shared objective was to improve brain health and cognitive function, and in doing so, understand how much control we really have over how our brain ages? Here are Dr. Erickson’s key take-home messages from the meeting.

1. The brain is more modifiable than we once thought.
   One of the clearest messages from the meeting was that the brain continues to respond to our behaviours and environments throughout life. Physical activity, sleep, sedentary behaviour, diet, cardiovascular and metabolic health, in addition to other lifestyle factors can influence how the brain functions and ages. Rather than viewing brain ageing as a largely fixed process, emerging research points toward opportunities to build and maintain brain resilience across the lifespan.
2. Brain health is a whole-body process.
   The brain does not operate in isolation. Research presented at ISENS highlighted connections among the brain, heart, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, metabolism and the immune system. Changes in blood flow, inflammation, vascular health, metabolic function and molecules released from peripheral tissues may all help explain why lifestyle influences cognition and brain health. Understanding these interconnected pathways is moving the field toward a more integrated science of brain-body health.
3. There may be more than one pathway to a healthier brain.
   Exercise remains an important tool, but the emerging science extends well beyond structured workouts. How much we move throughout the day, how long we sit, how well we sleep, what we eat and our broader cardiovascular and metabolic health may work together to shape brain outcomes. An important next step is understanding how these behaviours interact and whether changing combinations of them produces greater benefits than focusing on any single behaviour alone.
4. The future of lifestyle neuroscience is becoming more precise and personalised.
   The question is shifting from simply asking, is exercise good for the brain? to asking what works, for whom, when and through which biological mechanisms? Advances in brain imaging, blood-based biomarkers, wearable technology, genetics, cognitive assessment and large clinical trials are making it increasingly possible to identify who benefits most from particular interventions and why. Ultimately, this could allow lifestyle recommendations for brain health to become more individualised and biologically informed.
5. ISENS is helping build a new international science of brain resilience.
   The inaugural meeting in London brought together researchers spanning neuroscience, physiology, psychology, medicine, technology and public health around a shared challenge: understanding how modifiable behaviours can protect and enhance the brain. The opportunity now is to move beyond documenting associations toward identifying mechanisms, testing interventions, harmonising research methods, and translating discoveries into strategies that people can realistically use. The long-term goal is ambitious but increasingly achievable: to understand how we can actively shape the trajectory of brain health across the lifespan.

For more information on Brain Health Network’s 6 core pillars which includes exercise, visit www.brain.health.