{"id":333982,"date":"2025-10-26T14:10:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T14:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/333982\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T14:10:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T14:10:12","slug":"why-these-healthy-san-diego-retirees-volunteer-for-clinical-trials-that-include-spinal-taps-and-vr-games-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/333982\/","title":{"rendered":"Why these healthy San Diego retirees volunteer for clinical trials that include spinal taps and VR games \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people hear the words \u201cspinal tap,\u201d and they are dancing to the British heavy metal band in the movie.\u00a0 But if the reference is to your back, most people would imagine a large needle and run for cover.<\/p>\n

Sharen Gibson, 72, never flinched.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing I ever volunteered for, and probably quite off-putting to my friends, was a spinal tap,\u201d Gibson says matter-of-factly about her participation in a UC San Diego memory study. She describes the procedure with the casualness of someone discussing their morning coffee routine: a tiny needle, five minutes, two vials of spinal fluid and some extra water afterward \u2014 \u201cno more than what they\u2019d suggest if you donate blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibson and her spouse Roxanne Hoffert, 66, represent a growing number of older adults volunteering as healthy participants in clinical trials, contributing to medical research not because they\u2019re sick, but because they want to help prevent others from getting sick.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to my high school reunion, looked around at some of these women, and it\u2019s like, can you eat a salad every once in a while?\u201d Gibson says. \u201cI am not going to age without kicking and screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibson retired six years ago from FedEx, and Hoffert retired from Qualcomm more recently.\u00a0 The couple live in University Heights.<\/p>\n

Gibson is enrolled in WITS (Women: Inflammation and Tau Study) at UC San Diego, which examines why women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u00a0 Women comprise two-thirds of Alzheimer\u2019s cases and are almost twice as likely to develop the disease than men.<\/p>\n

Dr. Sarah Banks, who leads the study with co-principal investigator Dr. Erin Sundermann, explains that women show different biological patterns in the progression toward dementia. \u201cThe mild cognitive impairment stage starts when women get a big burst in the tau protein.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tau is a protein that often spreads after inflammation in the brain, and women tend to have stronger inflammatory reactions than men.\u00a0 It can ultimately disrupt the cell transport system, leading to neuron damage and potentially death.\u00a0 The five-year, $7 million National Institutes of Health-funded study is examining how modifiable risk factors \u2014 sleep, diet, exercise \u2014 might impact Alzheimer\u2019s, specifically in women.\u00a0 The study would like 45 more participants who are 65 years or older.<\/p>\n

For Gibson, participation meant undergoing a tau PET scan to detect protein buildup in her brain, cognitive testing, blood work and that spinal tap. A year later, she\u2019ll repeat the process. The spinal fluid, she learned, \u201ccompletely flushes the brain five times a day,\u201d making it an ideal window into brain health.<\/p>\n

One unexpected finding, according to Banks, has been the prevalence of undiagnosed sleep apnea among participants. About 70 percent of the women in the study have undetected sleep apnea, a significant discovery since untreated sleep apnea is a risk factor for cognitive decline.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen present sleep apnea symptoms differently than men,\u201d Banks explains. \u201cWe\u2019re less likely to snore loudly and gasp. We\u2019re more likely to have non-specific symptoms like not feeling very alert and grogginess the next day and headaches.\u201d After menopause, women are equally likely as men to develop sleep apnea, but they\u2019re less likely to be tested or diagnosed.<\/p>\n

Hoffert is in the Brain Research Health Study, which combines exercise with virtual reality gaming for some participants. Three times a week for 16 weeks, she goes to UCSD to play a specially designed VR game as part of research examining how different types of cognitive training might benefit brain health.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"RoxanneRoxanne Hoffert participates in the Brain Research Health Study at UCSD in San Diego.\u00a0 Hoffert takes a VR tour riding a stationary bicycle three times a week for the next 16 weeks, lasting close to 30 minutes on each tour. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\n\"RoxanneRoxanne Hoffert, takes a VR bicycle tour as part of a study for the Brain Research Health Study at UCSD. Hoffert\u2019s advice for others considering clinical trial participation? Explore your options and think about the bigger picture. It won\u2019t kill you, and it may change other lives. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cI see why kids are addicted to it,\u201d Hoffert says of the virtual reality experience. The time commitment is substantial \u2014each session requires several hours, including travel and parking.\u00a0 Participants receive $585 in cash and transportation assistance when needed.\u00a0 Some volunteers also get a quilt.\u00a0 Since 2010, several quilt guilds across the nation have donated nearly 200 quilts to volunteers in various aging brain studies at UCSD.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal of the study is to look at different factors that impact brain health and how changes in behavior \u2013 diet, exercise, sleep \u2013 might be useful in treating the disease,\u201d said Dr. Judy Pa, co-director of the Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Cooperative Study and Shiley Chair of Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Research at UCSD.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The study needs 39 more female volunteers to complete their goal of 110 participants, all women 65 and older who don\u2019t currently have dementia.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gibson and Hoffert\u2019s advice for others considering clinical trial participation? Explore your options and think about the bigger picture. It won\u2019t kill you, and it may change other lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have your own issues, or have loved ones with issues that have unique medical problems, take a look,\u201d Gibson suggests. \u201cAlzheimer\u2019s is not inevitable, dementia is not inevitable. Make a stand.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you are interested in learning more about clinical trials, UCSD\u2019s healthy volunteer studies website<\/a> lists current opportunities.\u00a0 The WITS study can be reached at (858) 761-3802, and the Brain Health Research Study at 619-543-3494.<\/p>\n

Sometimes changing the world starts with a tiny needle.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m interested in writing a column about seniors who are working part-time. Please email me with your suggestions at bbry@askturing.ai.<\/p>\n

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