Brain, Cognition and Cardiovascular System

During the last decade there has been an increasing interest in understanding the relationships between exercise, cognition and its neural correlates. While meta-analytic findings indicate that exercise seems to be beneficial for brain function and cognition, its underlying mechanisms and potential moderators and mediators remain to be determined. Data from various extreme environmental conditions indicate that physical activity might play a dominant role in minimizing cognitive impairments. Under extreme environmental conditions, the limits of human physiology is tested and adaptations are accelerated.  It is therefore one of the primary scientific goals to analyse these adaptations in order to achieve a greater understanding of integrative physiology.