Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a session at the CTRC on the CU main campus, where participants involved in FORCE (the study I talked about in my earlier posts) go to take initial tests before they come into the lab to complete their fMRI scan and begin their exercise regimens. These tests essentially measure a person’s physical and cognitive health to make sure that they meet the standards required to participate in the study; some of the tests include a medical physical, a memory mental status exam, a blood and saliva draw, and other informative surveys.
Inside the CTRC at the Wardenburg building on the CU main campus
The main test, however, is the VO2. The VO2 (VO2 max) measures the ‘maximum rate of oxygen consumption during incremental exercise’. Basically, it measures a person’s endurance capacity and thus their aerobic fitness level. The VO2 itself consists of a large (uncomfortable-looking) clear mouthpiece attached to a plastic tube. During the task, the participants are asked to exercise on a treadmill with the VO2 in their mouth and their nose clamped shut (in order to isolate their oxygen intake). Participants also wear an EKG ‘vest’ that monitors their heart throughout the task.
The grade of the treadmill is increased every two minutes while the speed remains constant. The objective is to determine how long a participant can continue to exercise at the particular rate. The average time is approximately 7 minutes (for people who are sedentary, which applies to everyone in this particular study).
In addition to attending a CTRC visit, I was able to watch another fMRI scan, learn more about the process of writing a research analysis paper, and sit in on a few of the initial sessions of another study taking place in the CU Change Lab. In doing so, I hope to get more involved with this different study, and am planning on learning how to run a V2 (visit two) for the study so that I will be able to run a few on my own and help contribute to the research collection.
Behind the scenes of an fMRI scan
I am enjoying my time here immensely and am excited to see what the last two weeks have in store!
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