A day in the life of Marcus

Oct. 28 2010

Today I participated in a psychological study!
For this particular study involved an EEG. for those not in the know, EEG stands for electroencephalogram. Not being proficient in greek (or is it latin?) I looked it up and was surprised to find it means exactly what I expected: A tool that records and measures the electrical activity in the brain through carefully placed electrodes.
Despite how it looks, the EEG cap is, in fact, not very comfortable. In order for the electrodes to detect the minute, split-second actions of your synapses, a specialized goo is placed between the electrode and where it contacts your head. After having my head thoroughly slathered with dielectric grease, I got to sit in front of a computer monitor and be recorded as I "played" some "games." I mean to use ironic quotes, because the "games" consisted of counting  and "played" refers to typing one of four keys. But thats not important.

I hardly felt much during the test, though at times I felt ...lightheaded? no, like when you get a whole bunch of hair cut off after having a shaggy do for awhile. A lightness around my scalp but offset by the presence of the cap. It was how imagined it would feel to have your mind read. A numb probe at the threshold of your perception like an evasive thought playing hide-n-seek in your mind.

Later, after the tests, the researcher took me to a place where I could shampoo the gel out. A nice young lady. thick brown curls peeking out from her red knit Cyclone hat.  She wants to study Biological Psychology which she attempted to explain to me in too short a time in too brief a conversation. While we walked and talked I felt the presence of the gel more. To me, I felt like my cognitive abilities, my thoughts where more subdued than usual. A short, if you will. Perhaps it is my active imagination, but I think that gel was interfering with my thinking. I cleaned my head and walked home (actually I biked, but walking sounds better). Once cleared of goo, I felt normalized.

...until this evening. You see, I made the mistake of scheduling this participation on the same day as my Psych Exam. Fortunately, the two events were, like, 10 hours apart so... no worries. I only mention this because during my exam I felt a familiar pang. The jab of electrodes. This time hot like a fresh bruise. These pangs weren't accompanied with that numb, airy feeling. No. Now separated from the grease, the ghostly electrodes pushed tangibly against my cranium. It was very distracting.

thanks for reading
-W. Marcus Miranti