About

Charles Hillman is a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences at Bouvé College of Health Sciences. He serves as the Director of the Institute for Cognitive and Brain Health. His research focuses on cognitive and brain health, particularly in relation to physical activity and movement sciences. As a key faculty member, he contributes to advancing understanding in these areas through his leadership and scholarly work.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Gerontology
• Internal medicine
• Physical therapy
• Psychiatry
• Clinical psychology
• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Biology
• Demography
• Psychotherapist
• Biomedical engineering
• Developmental psychology
• Radiology
• Anatomy
• Neuroscience
• Physics
• Ecology
• Environmental health

Selected publications

• Electroencephalography in Physical Activity and Fitness Research for Brain Health： A Systematic, Methodology-Focused Review

  Open MIND · 2026-01-01

  otherOpen access

  This project is a systematic, methodology-focused review of electroencephalography (EEG) in physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) research for brain health. The review will map current EEG acquisition, preprocessing, analysis, and reporting practices in studies targeting cognition, mental health, and behavior-related outcomes. It will include acute exercise studies, chronic exercise interventions, and observational PA/PF studies, while distinguishing resting-state, task-evoked, during-exercise, immediate post-exercise, and delayed post-exercise EEG assessments. The review will also evaluate how consistently key methodological elements are reported and identify where variation in research practice appears justified by paradigm constraints, such as mobile versus seated testing or during- versus post-exercise assessment. The synthesis will be qualitative and structured rather than a meta-analysis because the primary aim is to characterize methodological practice, identify reporting gaps, and highlight priorities for future harmonization.

  PublisherDOI

• Brain Glutathione Levels Associate With Cognitive Performance in Older Adults

  Journal of Neurochemistry · 2026-01-01 · 2 citations

  article

  Glutathione (GSH), the brain's primary endogenous antioxidant, is integral to the cerebral antioxidant defense system and essential for maintaining redox homeostasis and neuronal health. Brain GSH levels naturally decrease with age, potentially contributing to cognitive vulnerability through diminished antioxidant capacity. Currently, the relationship between brain GSH and cognitive function in humans remains poorly understood. Using multiple quantum chemical shift imaging, we measured brain GSH levels in 206 cognitively unimpaired older adults (mean age 69.8 ± 3.9 years) and assessed cognitive performance across five core domains: working memory, episodic memory, visuospatial processing, executive function/attentional control, and processing speed. We hypothesized that higher GSH would be associated with better cognitive performance across all five domains, reflecting the putative role of antioxidant capacity in cognitive function. Using multiple regression with age, sex, years of education, and study site as covariates in the model, we found that higher regional brain GSH levels, including frontal and parietal regions, were associated with better working memory (p = 0.008), episodic memory (p = 0.040), and visuospatial processing (p = 0.001), but not with executive function/attentional control or processing speed. These findings highlight the critical neuroprotective role of GSH within the cerebral antioxidant defense system in supporting cognitive health in late adulthood.

  PublisherDOI

• Erratum to “Look into my eyes: What can eye-based measures tell us about the relationship between physical activity and cognitive performance?” [J Sport Health Sci 12 (2023) 568–591]

  Journal of sport and health science/Journal of Sport and Health Science · 2026-01-07

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Brief Pre-Class Physical Exercise Selectively Enhances Mathematics-Specific Inhibitory Control: A Cluster-Randomized Trial in Authentic Classrooms

  Educational Psychology Review · 2026-01-06 · 7 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• The Relationship Between Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Hearing Health: a Cohort Study in the UK Biobank

  medRxiv · 2026-01-16

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Introduction Because hearing difficulties contribute significantly to years lived with disability and global economic burdens, finding ways to support hearing health is crucial. Despite decades of research investigating hearing loss and why some listeners struggle while listening to speech in noise more than others, answers remain elusive. Investigating modifiable lifestyle factors such as moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) that have been shown to support brain and cognitive function may help answer these questions about hearing health. Methods We examined the association between time spent in MVPA and self-reported hearing problems in the UK Biobank, a comprehensive population dataset. A subset of 79,286 participants aged 39-70 years who had complete accelerometer, hearing, demographic, and medical data were used. In our sample, 54.57% were female. The duration of MVPA and proportion of participants meeting physical activity guidelines (>150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week) were measured using wrist-worn accelerometry. Self-reported problems with hearing or understanding speech in noise were the primary outcomes. Logistic regressions were used to assess the relationship between MVPA and hearing problems while controlling for health and demographic factors. Results Spending more time in MVPA was associated with lower odds of reporting a hearing problem (OR=0.990, 95% CI [0.983, 0.997], p=0.005) and lower odds of reporting a speech-in-noise problem (OR= 0.991, 95% CI [0.985, 0.998], p= 0.007). Additionally, meeting physical activity guidelines was associated with lower odds of reporting problems with hearing (OR= 0.958, 95% CI [0.923, 0.995], p= 0.025) and speech in noise (OR= 0.953, 95% CI [0.922, 0.986], p= 0.005). Conclusions These findings suggest that spending more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity benefits hearing health as it is associated with lower odds of reporting hearing or speech-in-noise problems. Targeting physical activity as a non-invasive and low-cost intervention may make the common issue of hearing loss more manageable. Key Messages What we already know: Decades of research has shown that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity benefits cognitive and brain health. Similarly, prior work has shown that speech in noise understanding relies on executive functions and hearing sensitivity relates to physical activity levels. While the link between these concepts loosely exists, insufficient work has looked at how MVPA affects overall hearing health. What this study adds: In this prospective cohort study of 79,286 participants from the UK Biobank, we used logistic regressions to see whether spending more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with lower odds of reporting problems with hearing or understanding speech in noise. How this study might affect research, practice, or policy Establishing the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and overall hearing health can inform future interventions that aim to combat the decline in hearing that comes with age.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The moderating effects of individual differences in baseline episodic memory on acute exercise benefits in memory

  Memory & Cognition · 2026-01-09

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Scalable physical activity intervention for youth with disability: Burn 2 Learn adapted cluster randomized controlled trial

  International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2025-10-09 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Youth with disability are less physically active and more likely to have chronic health conditions than their peers without disability. The aim of our study was to assess the effectiveness of a scalable school-based physical activity intervention for youth with disability on functional capacity and a range of secondary outcomes. We conducted a two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial involving adolescents aged 15–19 years with diagnosed disabilities (N = 255) from 28 secondary schools in New South Wales, Australia. Schools were randomized to the Burn 2 Learn adapted (B2La) intervention, or a wait-list control. The B2La intervention included foundational resistance exercises (e.g., push-ups, bodyweight squats), aerobic exercises (e.g., shuttle runs), and sport skills (e.g., catching, kicking), delivered as classroom activity breaks 2–3 times per week by trained special education teachers. The primary outcome was functional capacity assessed using the 6-min walk or push test. Secondary outcomes were muscular fitness, body mass index, physical activity (accelerometers), resistance training motor competence, motivation for physical activity, high-intensity interval training self-efficacy, quality of life, and externalizing behaviors. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 6-months (primary endpoint), and 9-months (follow-up). At 6-months, the intervention group demonstrated a significant improvement in functional capacity, with a group-by-time effect of 20.3 m (95% CI, 3.1–37.1). At 9-months, the effect was 17.8 m (95% CI, 0.0–35.6). The intervention had a small effect on muscular fitness, resistance training motor competence, and high-intensity interval training self-efficacy. No effects were observed for the other outcomes and no adverse events were recorded. Physical activity breaks delivered by special education teachers during the school day improved functional capacity and a range of secondary outcomes in youth with disability. Activity breaks may need to be longer, more frequent, or more intense to achieve clinically important health effects. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Number: ACTRN12621000884808; prospectively registered 15th November, 2021.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Prospective associations between screen-based sedentary behaviors and cognitive performance among children aged 5–7 years

  Mental health and physical activity · 2025-05-15 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effect of acute MIIT on behavioral and neuroelectric indices of inhibition in middle adulthood

  International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology · 2025-11-13

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between sedentary behavior and behavioral problems in children with overweight/obesity

  Mental health and physical activity · 2025-06-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01HD055352

  NIH · $1.3M · 2013

• Enhancing Child Cognitive and Brain Health through Physical Activity Training

  NIH · $3.0M · 2012–2019

• NIH Grant R01AG021188

  NIH · $908k · 2007

Frequent coauthors

• Arthur F. Kramer

  294 shared

• Kirk I. Erickson

  223 shared

• Lauren B. Raine

  Northeastern University

  187 shared

• Renée Ventura‐Clapier

  Laboratory Signaling and Cardiovascular Pathophysiology

  149 shared

• Chris Button

  University of Otago

  148 shared

• Hannu Rintamäki

  Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

  148 shared

• Paul Donkelaar

  Okanagan University College

  148 shared

• Niels Juel Christensen

  148 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology

  University of Maryland

  2000