NCMD Research Seminar Series 26th September 2025

Presenter: Dr Emily Hird, Senior postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL

Reward processing and motivational mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of exercise

Dr Hird will present findings from the LIFE pilot study, exploring the reward and motivational mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of exercise. Her research focuses on a proposed pathway for depression in which chronic inflammation dampens dopamine signalling, reducing propensity to exert effort, and disrupting motivation. She will share evidence that aerobic exercise may alleviate depressive symptoms by lowering inflammation, enhancing dopamine function, and boosting effort-based decision-making. Drawing on behavioural, neuroimaging, and biomarker data, she will discuss how targeting this mechanism could improve outcomes in depression.
Emily is a senior postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL. Her research examines the mechanisms driving symptoms of depression, psychosis, and the placebo effect, with a focus on reward processing and prediction error. Emily is currently overseeing Professor Jon Roiser’s trial into the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effect of exercise, focusing on its effect on motivation and anhedonia. Prior to this, she completed her PhD at the University of Manchester, examining the neurocognitive basis of the placebo effect, and she was a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute of Psychology, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, where she worked on several large-scale clinical projects which aim to predict outcomes in psychosis.