Contact Information
Biography
Dr. Jonathan Cerna received his B.S. in Dietetics from Iowa State University in 2018, followed by an M.S. in Nutritional Sciences (2021) and Ph.D. in Neuroscience (2025) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He currently directs the Mind-body Integration & Neurophysiological Dynamics (MIND) Laboratory. His research takes a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive, motor, and emotional benefits of mind-body practices such as Tai Chi, yoga, and meditation, with particular focus on promoting healthy brain aging. Dr. Cerna integrates multimodal approaches—ranging from functional neuroimaging and computational modeling to wearable sensor analytics—to identify how these practices modulate brain network dynamics and support cognitive resilience across the lifespan. His work bridges basic neuroscience with translational applications, creating personalized and scalable interventions that optimize brain health and well-being in both healthy aging and clinical populations.
Research Interests
Research interests: Modifiable lifestyle behaviors and their interactive/synergestic effects on cognitive health, with an emphasis on better understanding the neurophysiological mechanisms behind mind-body practices (e.g., yoga, tai-chi, meditation, etc) and their beneficial effects on cognitive health.
Education
Ph.D. Neuroscience - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
M.S. Nutritional Sciences - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
B.S. Dietetics - Iowa State University
Additional Campus Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Health and Kinesiology
Recent Publications
Aburto-Corona, J. A., Espinoza-Gutiérrez, R., Montero-Herrera, B., Cerna, J., Serrano-Medina, A., Sánchez-Revilla, J., Barajas-Pineda, L. T., & Calleja-Núñez, J. J. (2025). Impact of a 1-Month Exergaming Intervention on Blood Glucose, Strength, and Body Composition in Office Workers With Overweight or Obesity. International Journal of Computer Games Technology, 2025(1), Article 8291009. https://doi.org/10.1155/ijcg/8291009
Alkurdi, A., He, M., Cerna, J., Clore, J., Sowers, R., Hsiao-Wecksler, E. T., & Hernandez, M. E. (2025). Extending Anxiety Detection from Multimodal Wearables in Controlled Conditions to Real-World Environments. Sensors, 25(4), Article 1241. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25041241
He, M., Cerna, J., Mathew, R., Zhao, J., Zhao, J., Espina, E., Clore, J. L., Sowers, R. B., Hsiao-Wecksler, E. T., & Hernandez, M. E. (2025). Objective anxiety level classification using unsupervised learning and multimodal physiological signals. Smart Health, 36, Article 100572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smhl.2025.100572
Parvez, A., Verma, S., Cerna, J., Holthaus, T., Kim, J., Pascual-Abreu, M., Kinder, C. J., & Khan, N. A. (2025). Functional Connectivity Underlying Cognitive Control and the Influence of Weight Status. Current Developments in Nutrition, 9, Article 106931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.106931
Cerna, J., Gupta, P., He, M., Ziegelman, L., Hu, Y., & Hernandez, M. E. (2024). Tai Chi Practice Buffers Aging Effects in Functional Brain Connectivity. Brain Sciences, 14(9), Article 901. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14090901