Are you interested in participating in studies offered through the Buckeye Brain Aging Lab? We are currently offering opportunities to participate in studies investigating topics such sleep, physical activity, exercise, and cognition.

To participate, please read about our current studies below. Once you have found one or more that you’re interested in, please click the link at the bottom of the page to be taken to a screening survey to determine if you’re eligible to participate. If you’d prefer to be screened for eligibility over the phone by a lab member, please email us at bbal@osu.edu or give us a call at 614-292-3385.

Studies

FASTER

• The purpose of our FASTER study is to examine how individual differences in health variables (muscle strength, blood pressure) and behavioral variables (sleep, physical activity) impact memory, attention, and the brain.
• We are recruiting adults 18+ to complete four to five appointments within about 30 days.
• After this initial round of appointments, you will be asked to complete annual questionnaires and come back to the lab for follow-up testing every 2 to 5 years.
• For more information and what to expect with participation, please visit fasterstudy.org 

Impact of Physical Activity on the Brain 

• We are recruiting young adults (ages 18-23) and older adults (ages 55-70) to complete 2 appointments.
• The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of factors that influence age-related changes in cognitive and brain functioning.
• What to expect:
  • At the first appointment, we will test your heart and lungs on an exercise bike for about 10 minutes. It will be similar to pedaling on a normal bike, but we will use some measuring devices to check your heart and breathing as you pedal. This appointment will take about 2 hours.
  • At the second appointment, we will do some cognitive testing to assess variables like memory, executive functioning, and attention. We will then take pictures of your brain using MRI. For some parts of the MRI you’ll be asked to lie still and rest, while during other parts you’ll be asked to exercise while in the scanner, similar to walking on a Stairmaster. This appointment will take about 3 hours.   

Memory and Acute Exercise (Recruitment is now closed)

• We are recruiting adults (ages 18-30) to complete 3 appointments lasting approximately an hour and a half each.
• For this study, we will test the effect of a short period of exercise or rest on your brain.
• What to expect:
  • • You may be asked to:
      • Complete questionnaires assessing your mood or physical activity
      • Engage in either rest or exercise by pedaling on an exercise bike for a period of up to 30 minutes
      • Provide a saliva sample to investigate the impact of exercise on your body
      • Complete various cognitive tasks.
      • Adhere to certain dietary/activity restrictions prior to your appointments.
      • Wear a measuring device to monitor your heart.
      • Wear a physical activity and sleep monitoring device (similar to a fitbit).
      • Complete an accompanying sleep and physical activity diary. 

If you’d like to screen yourself for eligibility, please click here or copy and paste this link into a web browser:

https://redcap.link/l28po00v