Researcher investigating the impact of hormones and exercise on cognitive health

Proper blood flow within the brain is critical for cognition, so problems like blood clots, narrowing or blocked arteries or blood vessel rupture can be devastating. In fact, Alzheimer’s and some forms of dementia are linked to changes in the brain’s blood flow system.  Both these conditions are more prevalent in females.

Although there is no cure for conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s, researchers have learned exercise can slow cognitive decline and may help prevent dementia. The cognitive-enhancing effects of exercise may be especially strong in females.

Dr. Cindy Barha, PhD, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and the newest member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute, is keenly interested in understanding why females seem to respond to exercise better than males.

Her research program focuses on understanding how exercise, along with biological sex and hormone-related life events, like pregnancy and menopause, influence brain aging. Her goal is to understand why females are more likely to develop certain forms of dementia and to determine how these factors influence the brain’s responsivity to different exercise interventions later in life.

“My research focuses on cardiovascular and endocrine systems and how they work together as possible mediators of the effect of exercise on cognition,” says Barha. “My research emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach that incorporates sex and gender considerations to develop efficacious, evidence-based exercise interventions that are personalized, not one-size-fits-all, to promote brain health.”

Like many researchers, Barha’s academic career took an unexpected turn.

When she started classes at the University of Victoria, her goal was to be a virologist. But images she encountered in a bio psychology class changed her trajectory.

“There was a moment when we were talking about neuroplasticity and the professor showed an image of the changes in neurons across a female animal model’s cycle, and I thought ‘how can a brain cell change so dramatically and so quickly?’” says Barha. “It was because of estrogens, and I knew I had to study hormones and neuroplasticity.”

Barha’s interest never flagged. She earned a Master of Arts in Psychology with specialization in Behavioural Neuroscience and a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology with specialization in Behavioural Neuroscience from UBC. Her doctoral thesis focused on the impacts of different estrogens and hormone replacement therapy on memory and neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the nervous system’s ability to change its activity, in response stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections after injuries, such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

During this work, Barha found the brain’s response to estrogens being introduced depended on reproductive factors. Her postdoctoral work focused on the interplay between hormones, previous pregnancy and exercise as it related to brain health.

Continuing in that vein, Barha’s work looks at the impact of aerobic training and hormone-related life events, including previous pregnancy, menopause, age of menstruation and length of fertility and genetics on cognitive health in females.

“I’m interested in how reproductive factors change the way our brain works and impact everyday thinking and decision making,” says Barha. “My goal is to find interventions that can make a difference. To that end, I also look at potential sex differences in exercise efficacy for brain health.”

Barha is a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute’s Women’s Cardiovascular Health Initiative and is hoping to collaborate with experts on the cardiovascular system. If you are interested in Barha’s work and possible collaboration, contact us at libin@ucalgary.ca.