Peter A. Hall

Research interests

I am interested in translational neuroscience for the public health context. Within this framework, I have four major research areas:  

1. Brain health impacts of COVID-19 and other infectious illnesses.
2. The social neurobiology of eating; that is, interactions between the brain and social environment that shape eating patterns in adolescence, middle age, and older adulthood. 
3. Development of new cognitive assessment paradigms to measure brain health in ways that are conceptually meaningful using rTMS and mobile brain imaging. 
4. Social and neurobiological influences on mental health, particularly in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addictions. 

Funding for my research is provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). 

Graduate supervision and student opportunities

I am currently accepting applications from graduate students and undergraduate honours students in health sciences, public health, biology and psychology with the following research interests:

• Brain health impacts of COVID-19
• Neurobiology of health communication
• Social neuroscience of PTSD and addictions

Graduate studies application details

Teaching interests

• Social neuroscience of health and illness
• Social neurobiology of eating

Education

BA Psychology/Biology, Dalhousie University

PhD Clinical Psychology, University of Waterloo

Visiting Fellowship in TMS, Duke University

Visiting Fellowship in TMS, Harvard Medical School

Selected publications

See lab website for extended list of publications.

* indicates trainee; ǂ indicates equal contribution; supervisor listed in last author position for trainee thesis research.

Hall, P. A., Ayaz, H., Meng, G., Hudson, A*., Sakib, M. N*., Quah, A. C. K., Agar, T. K., Lee, J. A*., Boudreau, C., & Fong, G. T. (2023). Neurocognitive and psychiatric symptoms following infection with COVID-19: Evidence from laboratory and population studies. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health, 28, 100595.

Sakib, M. N*., Best, J. R., & Hall, P. A. (2023). Bidirectional Associations Between Adiposity and Cognitive Function and Mediation by Brain Morphology in the ABCD Study. JAMA Network Open, 6(2), e2255631.

Hall, P.A., Meng, G., Boudreau, C., Hudson, A*., Quah, A., Agar, T., Fong, G.T. (2023). Social cognitive predictors of vaccination status, uptake and mitigation behaviors in the Canadian COVID-19 Experiences Survey. Vaccine.

Papasideris, M.*, Safati, A.B.*, Ayaz, H., Morita, P.P., & Hall, P.A. (2021). Examining the relationships among adolescent health behaviours, prefrontal function, and academic achievement using fNIRS. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 50, 100983.

Safati, A.B.*, & Hall, P.A. (2019). Contextual cues as modifiers of cTBS effects on indulgent eating. Brain Stimulation, 12, 1253-1260. 

Lowe, C.J.*, Reichelt, A.C., & Hall, P.A. (2019). The prefrontal cortex and obesity: A health neuroscience perspective. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 23, 349-361.

Lowe, C.J.*, Staines, W.R., Manocchio, F.*, & Hall, P.A. (2018). The neurocognitive mechanisms underlying food cravings and snack food consumption. A combined continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) and EEG study. NeuroImage, 177, 45-58.