parallax background

Supervisor Database Search

Search for supervisors below. You can filter your search using the options and select
multiple fields by holding CTRL (Cmd on Mac) + clicking multiple options in a list.

The ICAT Supervisor list is reviewed annually by the partner universities and updated online in March/April each year. You can read the ICAT supervisor policy here.

Full NameProfessor Aine Kelly

Medicine

Trinity College Dublin

Webpage:people.tcd.ie

Email Address:Email hidden; Javascript is required.

Research Fields
  • neuroscience and mental health
Postgrad Medical Specialties
  • Sports and Exercise Medicine
Medical Subspecialties
  • Dementia
  • Neurology
  • Neurophysiology
  • Neuropsychiatry
  • Physiology
My Work

The increased prevalence of sedentary lifestyles across the population in people of all ages is a present and growing risk to public health. The fact that regular exercise protects against development of a range of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular and metabolic disease, is clear. Evidence also links regular physical activity with decreased risk of dementia and cognitive impairment in old age. The specific impacts of exercise on brain health at a cellular level are the focus of my research. In my laboratory we work mainly on animal models to assess the consequences of regular exercise on cognitive function and the underlying cellular mechanisms.

We have a particular interest in the potential role of neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons in the adult brain, in mediating the effects of exercise on cognitive function throughout the lifespan. Other strands of research in the laboratory also have an exercise focus; recent projects have assessed the impact of exercise on cognitive function in human subjects, while an ongoing multidisciplinary collaborative project aims to identify cognitive and blood-borne markers of mild brain injury that may aid in the management of sports?related concussion.