Exercise, Technology, & Cognition Lab

Moving Minds for Healthier Lives

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ETC Lab’s Director, Dr. Sean Mullen (Principal Investigator), and his co-Investigator, Dr. Laura Rice, were awarded ~$30K for their grant proposal entitled, “Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of the Home Ecological Application of Thermotherapy, Walking and Vascular Effects (HEAT WAVE) Study.” The study is targeting middle-aged adults with pre-hypertension and mobility issues.

Primary aims | To test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 10-week, at-home aerobic walking and warm water bathing intervention for reducing blood pressure in middle-aged adults with perceived mobility impairment.

Secondary aims | To assess the degree of behavioral adherence and engagement, as well as intervention transfer effects on psychosocial outcomes, including changes in stress, heat tolerance, and pain.

In 2015, Dr. Mullen was awarded a UIUC Campus Research Board grant for a project entitled, “Heat and Aerobic Training (HEAT) with Pre-hypertensive Middle-aged Adults.” The HEAT study enabled our lab to gather the first evidence supporting the preliminary efficacy for the combination of aerobic exercise immediately followed by fully immersive heat therapy or “thermotherapy” (via steam-room). The novel intervention showed greater cardiovascular and cognitive health benefits than either exercise or thermotherapy alone.

Unfortunately, few people have access to steam-rooms or saunas, and we are shifting gears to test a more practical, scalable, at-home solution involving walking and warm water bathing.

Our prior heat-related research has been published in the scientific conference proceedings below, and we have several papers coming out in preprint very soon!

  1. Cohen, J. D., Palac, D., Bullard, T., Hua, A. K., Schroyer, R., Wong, B., Wilund, K., Woods, J., Kramer, A. F., & Mullen, S. P. (March-April, 2016). Chronic cognitive effects of sauna following aerobic exercise on processing speed. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting for the Society for Behavioral Medicine. Washington, DC. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(Suppl 1), S238. Abstract C038.
  2. Mullen, S. P., Cohen, J. D., Bullard, T., Woods, J., Wilund, K., Schroyer, R., Angadi, S. S., Buman, M., & Wong, B. (March-April, 2016). Effects of exercise combined with thermal therapy on blood pressure and psychosocial outcomes: A pilot RCT. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting for the Society for Behavioral Medicine. Washington, DC. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(Suppl 1), S239. Abstract C040.
  3. Mullen, S. P., Cohen, J., Palac, D., Bullard, T., Phansikar, M., North, J., Wong, B., & Wilund, K. (April, 2018). A pilot RCT testing effects of steam-room usage after exercise on cardiovascular functioning among pre-hypertensive adults. Poster presented at the annual meeting for the Society of Behavioral Medicine. New Orleans, LA.
  4. North, J., Cohen, J., Palac, D., Bullard, T., Phansikar, M., Wong, B., & Mullen, S. P. (April, 2018). Increased sleep efficiency through heat therapy and exercise. Poster presented at the annual meeting for the Society of Behavioral Medicine. New Orleans, LA.
  5. Phansikar, M., Palac, D., Cohen, J. D., Bullard, T., North, J. R., Wilund, K., Wong, B., & Mullen, S. P. (April, 2018). Complementary effects of exercise and heat therapy on mindfulness and cognition. Poster presented at the annual meeting for the Society of Behavioral Medicine. New Orleans, LA.