“These are short, five-minute cognitive tests,” he says. “One
is the Flanker Test, and it tests the ability to inhibit your re-
sponses. It looks very simple, but if you have a high craving
and you’re using your mental resources to think about cravings
or drug-seeking activities, you do more poorly on that test and
it takes you longer to do. In a very short period of time, I can
tell how much you are able to concentrate and pay attention to
the kind of tasks I’m asking you to do. It’s very telling about
people with addiction, OCD and other conditions.”
WVU athletic training staff
member Darl Bauer uses
the photobiomodulation
bed to demonstrate how
this kind of light therapy
helps alleviate pain
and inflammation and
promotes wound healing
and tissue regeneration.
Photo by WVU Medicine.
Advantages for West Virginians
At the end of the day, these three groups are not the only
ones who will benefit from the research taking place under
Galster’s watchful eye. The team’s findings will have an impact
on the entire population.
“It’s not just about athletes and the military,” says Galster.
“It’s also about switching from reactionary health care systems
to a health and wellness perspective. With the data we’re col-
lecting, we can do some transformational things as a human
performance team.”
Those transformational things would not be possible with-
out the program’s supportive leadership, extraordinary team,
strong belief and heart-felt commitment to the Mountain State.
“We have leadership support from President Gordon Gee and
Dr. Clay Marsh and all the way down,” he says. “We also have
the right team—people who really believe. We believe we’re
doing the right thing for science, and we believe we’re doing
the right thing for people in improving their lives.”
Galster and his team have adopted West Virginia as their
home and are committed to making a positive impact within
the Mountain State. “I want to reduce the despair,” he says.
“I want to reduce the depression. I want to reduce the rate of
people starting to use opioids as a way of life. There are so
many things I want to do that I think will be beneficial, and
people here in West Virginia get very excited when we talk
about what it is we’re doing.”
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