Jacqueline Palmer, PT, DPT, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

E-MAIL: [email protected]
Lab Website
Advising Statement

Research Interests:

Our laboratory studies neuroplasticity and cerebrovascular health as mechanisms of resilience in the aging brain, using human balance and gait as a window into brain function. We study why some older adults, including "fast-moving SuperAgers," maintain exceptional mobility and cognition despite age-related brain changes. We apply mobile electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), electromyography (EMG), whole-body biomechanics, and cerebral blood flow imaging in older adults and people with stroke or brain injury. Our goal is to identify neural and vascular mechanisms underlying functional resilience that can guide rehabilitation and promote healthy brain aging and recovery from neurologic injuries. 

Publications

  • Palmer JA, Billinger SA. APOE4 carriers resistant to cognitive decline show unique relationships between cerebrovascular response to exercise and dual-task cognitive-balance performance. Front Neurosci. 2026;20:1716713. doi:10.3389/fnins.2026.1716713.
  • Palmer JA, Kaufman C, Whitaker AA, Billinger SA. APOE4 carriers display loss of anticipatory cerebral vascular regulation across the AD continuum. Alzheimers Dement. 2025;21(5):e70229.
  • Palmer JA, Payne AM, Mirdamadi JL, Ting LH, Borich MR. Delayed cortical engagement associated with balance dysfunction after stroke. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2025;39(1):16-30.
  • Palmer JA, Hazen EM, Billinger SA. Dual-task balance control reveals cerebrovascular-behavioral relationships in older adults resistant to cognitive decline. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024. doi:10.1111/jgs.19049.
  • Palmer JA, Whitaker AA, Payne AM, Bartsch BL, Reisman DS, Boyne PE, Billinger SA. Aerobic exercise improves cortical inhibitory function after stroke: a preliminary investigation. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2024;48(2):83-93. doi:10.1097/NPT.0000000000000453.
  • Palmer JA, Morris JK, Billinger SA, Lepping RL, Martin L, Green Z, Vidoni ED. Hippocampal blood flow rapidly and preferentially increases after a bout of moderate-intensity exercise in older adults with poor cerebrovascular health. Cereb Cortex. 2023. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhac418.
  • Palmer JA, Kaufman CS, Vidoni ED, Honea RA, Burns JM, Billinger SA. Cerebrovascular response to exercise interacts with individual genotype and amyloid-beta to influence response inhibition with aging. Neurobiol Aging. 2022;114:15-26.
  • Palmer JA, Kesar TM, Wolf SL, Borich MR. Motor cortical network flexibility is associated with biomechanical walking impairment in chronic stroke. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2021. doi:10.1177/15459683211046272.
  • Palmer JA, Payne AM, Ting LH, Borich MR. Cortical engagement metrics during reactive balance are associated with distinct aspects of balance behavior in older adults. Front Aging Neurosci. 2021;13:684743.
Jacqueline Palmer