Research Interests and Projects
- Mechanisms of cerebral blood flow regulation in healthy humans and in athletes with sport related brain injury.
- Influence of environmental stressors such as high altitude (i.e., hypoxia), carbon dioxide, thermal, and orthostatic stress on cerebrovascular function.
- Influence of exercise training on cerebrovascular function.
Research Equipment
Dr. Tymko’s ~1000 sq/ft laboratory space is outfitted with the following equipment to address research questions related to the above listed interests:
Environmental Chamber
Equipped with 5 hypoxia generators, this environmental chamber can simulate altitudes up to 5000 m. It is used to explore the effects of acute hypoxia exposure on exercise performance, blood flow regulation, and the control of breathing.
Lower Body Negative Pressure Chamber
This chamber is used to study the effects of limited venous return and heightened sympathetic nerve activity on cerebral blood flow regulation.
Cerebrovascular Ultrasound
Transcranial Doppler ultrasound machine to measure cerebral blood velocity within the cerebrovasculature.
Stationary Bicycles and Treadmill
State of the art exercise equipment used to determine VO2 max, and explore the impact of exercise on cerebral blood flow regulation.
Cardiorespiratory Monitoring Station
Experimental testing suite outfitted with gas analyzers, blood pressure monitors, end-tidal forcing system, ADI powerlab, heart rate monitors, and spirometry. This testing area is used to measure cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory responses to various physiological stressors in humans.