Dr. Thomas Palmer leads multidisciplinary research exploring how the brain and body work together during physical activity, injury, and rehabilitation.
Mount St. Joseph University’s Dr. Thomas Palmer, Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Integrative Health, recently served as first author on a research study published in Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach. The study, titled “Real-Time Concurrent Neurophysiological Responses to Dynamic In-Motion Physical and Cognitive Functional Tasks in Division I Athletes,” examines how the brain responds during physical activity and how those responses change following injury and rehabilitation.
The research was the result of approximately three years of grant-initiated work involving a multidisciplinary team of faculty and staff from Mount St. Joseph University and the University of Cincinnati. Working alongside Marsha Mangine and UC’s sports medicine team, Thomas Palmer helped lead real-time brain assessments of Division I athletes during physical activity, both before and after injury.
“Evaluating the changes in the brain function gave insight to the important role the brain and muscles play ‘together’ in navigating body function while healthy and injured,” Dr. Palmer explained. He added that the research also highlighted changes in brain function associated with injury and rehabilitation.
As lead writer and organizer, Thomas Palmer collaborated with Robert Mangine, director of sports medicine at UC, to bring the research to publication. The project continues to grow, contributing to a greater understanding of the relationship between neurological function, physical performance, and recovery.
This publication highlights the Mount’s commitment to collaborative research and advancing knowledge in exercise science and human performance.
Read the published research: Real-Time Concurrent Neurophysiological Responses to Dynamic In-Motion Physical and Cognitive Functional Tasks in Division I Athletes
Click to view PDF version of: Real-Time Concurrent Neurophysiological Responses to Dynamic In-Motion Physical and Cognitive Functional Tasks in Division I Athletes