Media releases

• Exercise’s impact on ADHD among Brock research given $2M boost

  Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE — July 22, 2026 — R0064

  Students living with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often need accommodations in school, such as extended assignment deadlines or quieter spaces to complete exams.

  But a potential proactive intervention being investigated by Erin Panda and her team may “flip educational accommodations on their head,” she says, by boosting students’ ability to focus, ignore distractions and remember the task at hand.

  “There is a growing research base about how exercise supports the very cognitive skills that are hard for people who are further along on the ADHD continuum,” says the Brock Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies and Director of the University’s Developmental Neuroscience Lab. “And it makes sense intuitively that for someone who tends to be restless, hyperactive or inattentive that exercise might help those symptoms.”

  Panda and her interdisciplinary team will be exploring the impacts of exercise on the brain’s executive functioning network thanks to an Insight Development Grant from the Government of Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

  The results of SSHRC’s Insight Grant and Insight Development Grant programs were announced on Tuesday, July 21, with 14 Brock University researchers receiving a total of $2 million for their projects.

  “SSHRC’s support for our scholars’ projects speaks to the talent of the Brock University research community,” says Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon. “These projects will make significant inroads in the areas of children’s development, the application of artificial intelligence and creating a safer society, among other impacts.”

  Member of Parliament for St. Catharines Chris Bittle says the wider community — and the country — benefits from innovative Brock research.

  “The Government of Canada is deeply committed to building a vibrant, healthy and prosperous country by supporting research that increases knowledge and understanding about people and the society in which they live,” he says. “Brock researchers’ expertise and the range of subjects they are exploring through their projects are helping to advance this goal of creating a caring, flourishing Canada.”

  For their project, Panda and her team are recruiting undergraduate university students who self-identify as being at various points on the ADHD spectrum. Participants will undergo a 30-minute session of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise during one visit to the lab and sit quietly reading or chatting for 30 minutes during a second visit.

  After each session, researchers will measure the students’ brain responses while they engage in tasks that require sustained attention, focus, working memory and creativity.

  They aim to determine whether exercise boosts executive function and creativity and if the impact is greatest for those who report more ADHD-like traits in their day-to-day lives.

  “I’m excited about the potential of highlighting an empowering, healthy strategy that gives people a sense of agency and shows them they can do something to help their learning instead of focusing solely on their deficits,” Panda says.

  Her team includes retired Professor of Psychology Sidney Segalowitz, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics William Marshall, Professor of Child and Youth Studies Ayda Tekok-Kilic, Associate Professor of Health Sciences Rebecca MacPherson, Professors of Kinesiology Barket Falk and Panagiota Klentrou, Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Matthew Kwan, and Executive Director of Student Wellness and Accessibility Services William Helmeczi.

  Brock researchers awarded Insight Grants include:

  • Sandra Bosacki, Professor of Educational Studies in the Faculty of Education — “Adolescents’ Kind Mindset: Linking Mentalization, Self-processes and Prosocial Development”
  • Christine Daigle, Professor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities — “Haunting Traces: Constructing Futurities”
  • Martin Danahay, Professor of English Language and Literature in the Faculty of Humanities — “Drug Wars: Power, Violence and Discrimination from Opium to Fentanyl”
  • Waqar Nadeem, Professor of Marketing in the Goodman School of Business — “Creating Value with Digital Twins: Opportunities and Risks for Business Renewal”
  • Michael Naraine, Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences — “Examining the Social and Economic Impacts of Modern Sports Gambling in Canada”
  • Rebecca Raby, Professor of Child and Youth Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences — “Living in a Shelter: Children’s Experiences of Being Homeless with their Families”
  • Colin Rose, Associate Professor of History in the Faculty of Humanities — “Mapping Crime and Conflict in Early Modern Italy”
  • Dawn Zinga, Professor of Child and Youth Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences — “Perfect Performance: Contextual Pressure to Perform Perfectly, Injury Risk, Artistic Expression and Wellbeing in Female Competitive Dancers”

  Brock researchers awarded Insight Development Grants include:

  • Abdul Rehman Ashraf, Professor of Marketing in the Goodman School of Business — “AI Companions at a Crossroads: Implications for Human Well-being”
  • Fernando Avila, Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Social Sciences — “Fragile Reforms: The Rise and Decline of a Penal Experiment in a Latin American Prison Town”
  • Christiana Okyere Folson, Assistant Professor of Child and Youth Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences — “Exploring the Needs of Racialized and Newcomer Caregivers Raising Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Niagara Region of Canada”
  • Danielle Dunwoody, Assistant Professor of Nursing in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences — “Navigating Disability Disclosure in Health Professional Education and Regulation: A Scoping Review with Key Partner Perspectives”
  • Erin Panda, Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences — “Exercise as an Educational Intervention? Examining Which Students Benefit Most from Exercise’s Boost to Executive Function”
  • Leila Tahmooresnejad, Assistant Professor of Information Systems in the Goodman School of Business — “When Sustainability Enters the Conversation: Tracing Environmental Blind Spots in AI Research”
  • Kai-Yu Wang, Professor of Marketing in the Goodman School of Business — “How Artificial Intelligence Influences Consumers: Transparency, Emotion, and Culture in Advertising”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases

• Unplugging is the hottest summer trend, says Brock expert

  Monday, July 20, 2026 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY — July 20, 2026 — R0063

  There’s a popular activity making its way onto Canadians’ to-do lists this summer: unplugging outdoors.

  In a world saturated by screen time and technology, more people are putting down their devices and spending time outside, says Brock University Associate Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies Garrett Hutson.

  “There is a growing movement geared towards embracing nearby nature: your backyard, your local trail or the park down the street,” he says.

  While people have always used outdoor spaces for exercise and to connect with nature, they’re now also using them to combat the negative effects of screen time, Hutson says.

  “Research shows specific segments of the population, such as Gen Z, which has been ‘plugged in’ more than any other generation, are turning to nearby nature more often to offset the negative health impacts of being plugged in all the time.”

  The outdoor recreation researcher sees the shift as more than a fad but part of a broader reassessment of how people spend their leisure time and what they need to support their well-being.

  Although research continues to examine the negative physical and mental health impacts of screen time, social media and constant connectivity, Hutson believes many people are coming to their own conclusions based on lived experience.

  “Deep down we know we’re not wired to consume this amount of information at this speed for the extended periods of time we’re exposing ourselves to,” he says. “I think people are starting to understand the positive impacts of not only unplugging but doing so outdoors socially, such as with family and friends.

  “We’re starting to authentically reconnect with unplugged experiences and see first-hand that life is better without the constant sounds, badges, notifications and apps stealing attention and directing it to things that largely don’t matter. Compare how it feels to doomscroll on your phone alone with walking in the forest with a friend, and that’s all the proof you need.”

  The demand for outdoor experiences has only grown in the age of digital overload. However, time outside isn’t without its own obstacles.

  Canada’s summer outdoor recreation season is increasingly being affected by prolonged periods of extreme heat, poor air quality and wildfire smoke, creating new challenges for individuals and organizations alike. On July 15, for example, Toronto’s air quality was among the worst in the world due to heat and wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario.

  “People are trying to reconnect with nature, and they’re trying to unplug,” Hutson says. “But climate change is pushing back.”

  As temperatures rise, outdoor activity patterns are changing.

  More people are shifting their outdoor recreational activities, such as running, cycling and walking, to early mornings and evenings to avoid the midday heat. Outdoor swimming pools, especially in big cities, are also extending their hours deep into the evenings during heat waves to help cool people down.

  Outdoor education programs, camps and community organizations are also adapting their approaches to manage heat and weather-related risks, reconsidering scheduling, activity duration, shade access and cooling opportunities for participants as demand grows.

  “Techniques are changing in terms of what we do, how long we want participants out in the elements and whether we need more activities under cover or out of direct sunlight at certain times of the year,” Hutson says.

  Despite the challenges of enjoying time outdoors, he says the benefits of unplugging and connecting with nearby nature remain strong and intuitive.

  “At the heart of nature-based recreation is joy,” he says. “As digital pressures and burnout continue to be commonplace, it’s important for people to develop strategies to find balance. Part of that can be as simple as a 10-minute lunch walk outside with a colleague without any of your electronic devices.

  “It’s a ‘getting back to basics’ approach to maintaining and improving our physical and mental health. At a deeper level, I think it’s a re-evaluation of what kind of life we wish to live.”

  Brock University Associate Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies Garrett Hutson is available for media interviews on this topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  *Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases