The ISEH - Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health

The ISEH - Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health Olympic health legacy, delivering excellence in research education & clinical services in sport & ex

Our vision is to be the leading institute for sports and exercise medicine in the world. The ISEH will provide excellence in elite sports performance and sports injury prevention and management whilst bridging the gap between elite sport, amateur sports and exercise prescription for the improvement of the healthcare of the whole population. The ISEH will:

Provide elite athlete treatment - a world

wide centre of excellence
*Deliver world class teaching, training and research in sport and exercise medicine

*Deliver health care needs of sport and exercise to elite and amateur levels

*Bridge the gap between the elite athlete and the weekend warrior through offering elite performance and training (including NHS patients)

*Translate our findings from research to gave an impact on the health of the nation.

In a recent study led by ISEH’s Dr John Mitchell, alongside Dr Joanna Blodgett and Prof. Mark Hamer, the team investigat...
24/07/2025

In a recent study led by ISEH’s Dr John Mitchell, alongside Dr Joanna Blodgett and Prof. Mark Hamer, the team investigated the bidirectional relationship between physical activity and cognitive function in midlife. This research is significant because previous studies often assumed a one-way, causal link—suggesting that physical activity leads to improved cognition.

To establish the direction of this relationship, the authors looked at data from the 1946 British birth cohort looking at 2,888 individuals (51% female) with participants reporting physical activity and completing cognitive tests (processing speed and verbal memory) over 26 years (ages 43, 53, 63, and 69y).

Some key points on these findings:
- Cognition > physical activity: A one standard deviation increase in verbal memory was linked to higher odds of moderate physical activity at the next timepoint.
- Physical activity > cognition: Becoming physically active was associated with a modest verbal memory improvement at the next timepoint.
- S*x differences: Bidirectional associations were more robust in males compared to females.
- Conclusion: Physical activity and cognitive function influence each other over time, with stronger predictive effects observed from cognitive performance to future physical activity, particularly among males.

Swipe also for a comment from lead author of the study, Dr John Mitchell.

Access the paper here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40610395/

ISEH’s Dr Flaminia Ronca spoke recently with Swiss Public TV and TV5 Monde at our facility, highlighting a crucial issue...
22/07/2025

ISEH’s Dr Flaminia Ronca spoke recently with Swiss Public TV and TV5 Monde at our facility, highlighting a crucial issue in women’s football: much of the equipment used in the game, including the footballs themselves, are not designed with female footballers in mind.

Her insights contribute to a wider piece alongside other experts, addressing gender disparities in the sport and the need for change.

Flaminia brings a wealth of research experience which contributes to women’s sport and its effects on cognitive health, making her a key voice in this important conversation.

Participating in this too, on the treadmill was Evelyn Watson.

More is to be shared on this.

We are incredibly pleased to announce that ISEH’s Dr Snehal Pinto Pereira has been appointed Professor of Population Hea...
18/07/2025

We are incredibly pleased to announce that ISEH’s Dr Snehal Pinto Pereira has been appointed Professor of Population Health and Applied Statistics within our partner organisation, UCL’s Division of Surgery and Interventional Science.

Professor Pinto Pereira is a dedicated statistical epidemiologist whose research focuses on obesity, physical activity, muscle strength, and ageing. A central theme of her work is understanding how to optimise and maintain physical fitness across the lifespan in the general population.

In 2024, she received a prestigious £1.8 million Senior Non-Clinical Fellowship (SNCF) from the Medical Research Council (MRC). Over five years, this fellowship is funding a team of postdoctoral researchers and PhD students to examine three key aspects of physical fitness, body composition, aerobic capacity, and muscle strength, and how they interconnect to impact health outcomes. The findings from this research is likely to inform and guide future updates to national physical activity guidelines.

We would like to congratulate her on this well-deserved achievement!

More about Professor Pinto Pereira and her research here: https://iseh.co.uk/news/latest-news/congratulations-to-dr-snehal-pinto-pereira-now-a-professor-of-population-health-and-applied-statistics

Research participation opportunity: Menstrual health & exercise study – do you experience symptoms either before or duri...
16/07/2025

Research participation opportunity: Menstrual health & exercise study – do you experience symptoms either before or during menstruation?

Dedicated researchers at ISEH Dr Benjamin Tari, PhD and Kate Rattley are conducting a study to better understand how menstrual cycle symptoms affect physical activity and to explore passive exercise as a potential alternative for symptom management.

We are inviting participants who:
👉Are women aged 18–40
👉Have a regular menstrual cycle (21–35 days)
👉Experience symptoms either before or during menstruation
 
What participation involves:
👉Completing short daily questionnaires for 7 days during a specific menstrual phase
👉If eligible, participation in a second 7-day phase involving at-home use of a passive exercise device
👉All data is collected remotely and anonymously

Research shows that up to one-third of women experience menstrual symptoms, particularly pain—that limit daily activities and exercise engagement. While regular physical activity has well-documented benefits, many find it difficult to maintain during their cycle.

This study seeks to explore passive exercise, a form of movement that requires no voluntary effort, as a supportive strategy during the menstrual cycle.

Your contribution could help advance women’s health research and support the development of accessible symptom management strategies.

More information about the study can be found in our bio - along with registering your interest. 🔝

Research participation opportunity: Menstrual health & exercise study – do you experience symptoms either before or duri...
16/07/2025

Research participation opportunity: Menstrual health & exercise study – do you experience symptoms either before or during menstruation?

Dedicated researchers at ISEH Dr Benjamin Tari, PhD and Kate Rattley are conducting a study to better understand how menstrual cycle symptoms affect physical activity and to explore passive exercise as a potential alternative for symptom management.

We are inviting participants who:
- Are women aged 18–40
- Have a regular menstrual cycle (21–35 days)
- Experience symptoms either before or during menstruation

What participation involves:
- Completing short daily questionnaires for 7 days during a specific menstrual phase
- If eligible, participation in a second 7-day phase involving at-home use of a passive exercise device
- All data is collected remotely and anonymously

Research shows that up to one-third of women experience menstrual symptoms, particularly pain—that limit daily activities and exercise engagement. While regular physical activity has well-documented benefits, many find it difficult to maintain during their cycle.
This study seeks to explore passive exercise, a form of movement that requires no voluntary effort, as a supportive strategy during the menstrual cycle.

Your contribution could help advance women’s health research and support the development of accessible symptom management strategies.

More information about the study can be found here: https://liveuclac-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/rehkcra_ucl_ac_uk/ETWukaik-KxInA8DnFpzHNEBd-A-ZV3H4VszOqxjl9oj2w?rtime=Tn8vym_E3Ug

Would you like to take part? Register your interest here: https://research.sc/participant/login/dynamic/D3E7EBC9-DAF0-4F01-8338-1EA7B7E6627D

As the UK experiences unusually high temperatures, Professor Mathew Wilson, Head of Sport and Exercise Medicine at ISEH,...
12/07/2025

As the UK experiences unusually high temperatures, Professor Mathew Wilson, Head of Sport and Exercise Medicine at ISEH, shares some advice on how to exercise safely during a heatwave. While some tips may seem straightforward, it's crucial to adapt your routine to avoid heat-related risks.

Some advice from Professor Wilson:

👉Limit heat exposure: Exercise during cooler parts of the day—early morning or late evening—when the sun is less intense.
👉Adapt your workout: Consider switching to strength and conditioning exercises, which may offer performance benefits in hot conditions.

Important to keep in mind:

The human body is remarkably inefficient when it comes to energy use during exercise—only about 25% of energy goes toward movement, while the remaining 75% generates heat. This makes activities like a 5km run in direct sunlight significantly harder due to “thermoregulatory stress,” which places extra demands on your cardiovascular system.

Due to our partnership with HCA Healthcare UK, we’re able to offer access to a team of leading consultants who provide expert diagnosis, treatment, and management for a wide range of sports-related injuries and conditions through our patient services.

Keep reading: https://www.stylist.co.uk/fitness-health/workouts/exercise-hot-summer-experts/400807

A new study was published this week in Brain Research, led by Dr Flaminia Ronca of UCL and ISEH, alongside co-authors Dr...
11/07/2025

A new study was published this week in Brain Research, led by Dr Flaminia Ronca of UCL and ISEH, alongside co-authors Dr Tom Gurney, Cian Xu, Dennis Chan, Giampietro Schiavo, Antonia Hamilton, Ilias Tachtsidis, Paola Pinti, and Paul W. Burgess.

They explored the differences between sample processing and how plasma/serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) relates to different cognitive functions and activity in different regions of the prefrontal cortex.

BDNF is well-established in its role supporting memory through synaptic plasticity and hippocampal volume maintenance. However, its involvement in prefrontal cortex function remains less clearly defined. Additionally, the differential associations between plasma BDNF (pBDNF) and serum BDNF (sBDNF) with cortical activity are not well understood.

Did you know that BDNF has region-specific and domain-specific effects?

In brief:
🧠A total of 23 participants provided venous blood samples and completed assessments of executive function and episodic memory at three time points. Prefrontal cortex activity was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during week 6.
🧠Higher Plasma Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) predicted consistently better episodic memory and related to greater PFC activity in the orbitofrontal and frontopolar regions during this task.
🧠Higher Serum BDNF related to lower PFC activity in the frontopolar region during attention and inhibition tasks but did not relate to cognitive task performance.
🧠Plasma / serum BDNF exhibited distinct region-specific and domain-specific associations with brain hemodynamics measured via fNIRS.

(A special acknowledgment also to Ellen Kong Joseph Warwick for their support in making the study possible).
Keep reading: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006899325003889

A new study published yesterday (8th July), led by dedicated UCL and ISEH researchers, Dr Flaminia Ronca, Dr Benjamin Ta...
09/07/2025

A new study published yesterday (8th July), led by dedicated UCL and ISEH researchers, Dr Flaminia Ronca, Dr Benjamin Tari, PhD, Cian Xu, and Prof. Paul Burgess, explores whether personality traits can predict physical fitness, enjoyment of exercise at varying intensities, and adherence to exercise programmes in the general population.

Participants were randomly assigned to either 8-week home-based cycling and strength training intervention or a resting control group which involved 132 adults from the general population were recruited, with 86 completing the intervention study after exclusions and dropouts.

Let’s discuss this:
👉Personality traits were measured the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) (e.g., Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness).
Baseline and post-intervention fitness (V̇O₂peak) and self reported stress (via the Perceived Stress Scale PSS-10) were assessed in a lab setting.
👉Participants rated how much they enjoyed each exercise session on a 7-point scale, particularly during week 1 of the training programme, and at lab visits.

Swipe for some key findings 👉

Lead author Dr Flaminia Ronca shared:
“Personality can determine which intensities and forms of exercises we enjoy the most, or are attracted to; understanding this can help us make a first step in promoting engagement in physical activity in sedentary individuals. Ultimately, what really matters is that we keep moving by doing something we enjoy.”

We thank and other media outlets (including The Times and Daily Mail), for covering this.

🔗Link in bio to keep reading.

Study published in Frontiers in Psychology.

A new study published yesterday (8th July), led by dedicated UCL and ISEH researchers, Dr Flaminia Ronca, Dr Benjamin Ta...
09/07/2025

A new study published yesterday (8th July), led by dedicated UCL and ISEH researchers, Dr Flaminia Ronca, Dr Benjamin Tari, PhD, Cian Xu, and Prof. Paul Burgess, explores whether personality traits can predict physical fitness, enjoyment of exercise at varying intensities, and adherence to exercise programmes in the general population.

Participants were randomly assigned to either 8-week home-based cycling and strength training intervention or a resting control group which involved 132 adults from the general population were recruited, with 86 completing the intervention study after exclusions and dropouts.

Let’s discuss this:
👉Personality traits were measured the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) (e.g., Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness).
Baseline and post-intervention fitness (V̇O₂peak) and self reported stress (via the Perceived Stress Scale PSS-10) were assessed in a lab setting.
👉Participants rated how much they enjoyed each exercise session on a 7-point scale, particularly during week 1 of the training programme, and at lab visits.

Swipe for some key findings 👉

Lead author Dr Flaminia Ronca shared:
“Personality can determine which intensities and forms of exercises we enjoy the most, or are attracted to; understanding this can help us make a first step in promoting engagement in physical activity in sedentary individuals. Ultimately, what really matters is that we keep moving by doing something we enjoy."

We thank CNN and other media outlets (including The Times and Daily Mail), for covering this. Keep reading: https://us.cnn.com/2025/07/08/health/personality-type-enjoy-exercise-intl-scli-wellness

Study published in Frontiers in Psychology.

Hiring! We are inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher to conduct advanced analysis of MRI and fMRI datasets...
08/07/2025

Hiring! We are inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher to conduct advanced analysis of MRI and fMRI datasets, integrating these with other biological and clinical markers to investigate potential impacts on neurological health in athletes who have experienced injury. 🧠

The successful candidate will be expected to work independently, conduct data analysis, and publish findings in academic journals.

This role is offered through a collaboration between University College London (UCL), The Concussion Foundation (CF), and the International Concussion and Head Injury Research Foundation (ICHIRF). The position will be primarily based at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH), within UCL’s Faculty of Medical Sciences, and will involve close collaboration with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (ICN) in the Faculty of Brain Sciences, and with UCL Engineering.

Additional information
· The role is full-time, fixed-term (12 months in the first instance)
· The closing date is currently 21st July - applications may close early if a high volume of responses is received.
· For role-related queries, contact Dr Flaminia Ronca (details via the link below)
· For questions about the application process or to request accommodations, contact l.oppong@ucl.ac.uk.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/search-ucl-jobs/details?nPostingId=14649&nPostingTargetId=35990&id=Q1KFK026203F3VBQBLO8M8M07&LG=UK&languageSelect=UK&mask=ext

We were delighted to welcome Prof. Wayne Derman to ISEH on Friday, where he delivered an engaging talk to colleagues on ...
30/06/2025

We were delighted to welcome Prof. Wayne Derman to ISEH on Friday, where he delivered an engaging talk to colleagues on the topic of “The travelling athlete: how can we help minimise Infection Risk?”

It was a privilege to host Prof. Derman, who was recently appointed as the Medical Director of the International Paralympic Committee.

18/06/2025

We very much look forward to hosting and welcoming runners to our 2025 annual run in Regent’s Park this coming Sunday, 22nd June; open to participants of all fitness levels, the event promises a well-coordinated run with chip timing and marshalling. There’s still chance to join us, secure your place before entries close this coming Friday: https://events.kronosports.uk/event/873.

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