UT Dallas student wins grant to study link between memory, fitness in older adults

A UT Dallas student recently received a grant to study the link between memory and fitness in older adults.
A UT Dallas student recently received a grant to study the link between memory and fitness in older adults. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) doctoral student Shuo Qin plans to study how physical fitness affects memory in older adults using a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.
 
Working in Dr. Chandramallika Basak’s Lifespan Neuroscience and Cognition Lab, part of the school’s Center for Vital Longevity (CVL), Qin hopes to yield more data about the suggested link between an active lifestyle and good sleep and the preservation of hippocampal volume, decreases of which are associated with poor memory.
 
“I was glad to get the news after having worked very hard on the application,” Qin said of her grant. “I want to thank the NSERC for this great opportunity and my advisor, Dr. Basak, for her help and support during the application process.”
 
Qin plans to use Fitbit fitness trackers, along with other measures of fitness, to gauge the physical activity and sleep patterns of her participants, who are between 60 and 80 years of age. Participants’ memories will quantified with memory tests, conducted in the lab.
 
“I am very proud of Shuo’s achievements — she is most deserving of NSERC’s recognition,” Basak said.