A beautiful game inside the brain
Dr. Gregory Knell
As the world turned its attention to the World Cup, billions of eyes followed the movement on the pitch – the sprinting, stopping, turning, balancing and split-second decisions that define the game. Every movement connects the body and brain in a seamless partnership.
For one researcher, that connection is more than a spectacle. It's the focus of his life's work.
With a background in epidemiology and exercise physiology, Dr. Gregory Knell, assistant professor of population and community health in the Department of Public Health at UNT Health Fort Worth’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, has spent his career asking a simple question: How can movement help people live longer, healthier lives? When asked about his passion for research, Knell said it centers on how physical activity can improve health and longevity.
“I believe physical activity is one of the best, yet most underused, tools we have to live a full and healthy life,” Knell said.
That belief led him to the field of Alzheimer's disease research, where scientists are racing to find ways to identify risk earlier and protect brain health before symptoms appear.
His latest publication explores an intriguing possibility: Could simple physical movements reveal clues about what's happening inside the brain?
Using data from the Health and Aging Brain Study–Health Disparities (HABS-HD) at the Institute for Translational Research at UNT Health, the research team examined participants who completed straightforward physical function tests, including standing up from a chair, walking a short distance and balancing.
The results were striking.
Cognitively healthy adults who performed better on these basic movement tests were more likely to have brain structures associated with healthier brain aging. The findings suggest that physical function and brain health may be connected long before outward signs of cognitive impairment emerge.
For Knell, the study represented the next chapter in a growing line of inquiry. Earlier work had shown that physical functioning was related to blood biomarkers linked to Alzheimer's disease. The next natural question was whether those same relationships could also be observed in the brain itself.
The unique richness of the HABS-HD dataset made it possible to look deeper.
"What drew me to this study was the opportunity to pair measures of physical activity and physical functioning with detailed brain health data," Knell said.
The findings don't mean a brief walking test can replace sophisticated brain scans. Researchers still have much to learn about how movement, brain structure and cognitive health interact over time. Knell asks the question, “Can a brief, low-cost, easily administered physical test tell us something about brain health that we'd normally need more invasive or expensive tests to understand?”
That's important because advanced brain imaging isn't available to everyone.
MRI scanners and specialized neurological testing require resources, infrastructure and access that many communities simply don't have. A walking test, a chair-rise assessment or a balance evaluation can be conducted almost anywhere such as clinics, community centers, churches, senior centers and primary care offices. That accessibility could make a profound difference.
“These tests have the potential to reach communities that have historically had the least access to screening, which could have a big impact on early identification of people at risk for cognitive decline,” Knell said.
Think again about the World Cup. Elite athletes spend years training their bodies, but what often separates the good from the great is what happens in the brain. Coordination, processing speed, balance, reaction time and decision-making all work together to produce elite perfomance. Their movement and brain function are constantly working together.
Most people will never play soccer on the world's biggest stage. But the lesson may be the same.
The brain is not an organ that exists in isolation. Every walk around the neighborhood, every climb up the stairs and every moment spent staying active engages systems that are deeply connected to cognitive health.
Knell’s work reinforces a message that is both encouraging and practical: Caring for your brain may begin with caring for your ability to move.
You don't need a stadium, a championship trophy or a physical trainer. Sometimes, the story of brain health starts with standing up from a chair, taking a walk and finding your balance. Every step matters not just for our bodies, but for our brains as well.
Researchers are increasingly uncovering the links between physical function and brain health. While many questions remain, one message is becoming clear: Moving our bodies may be one of the simplest and most accessible ways to support healthy aging and protect brain health.
Learn more about Dr. Knell’s research, click here: Evaluation of physical functioning as a marker of brain imaging outcomes in a multiethnic
community-based cohort - PubMed