{"id":159609,"date":"2023-10-10T10:56:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T08:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=159609"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:00","slug":"students-play-around-with-gel-and-stick-electrodes-on-each-other-during-electrophysiology-practical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/10\/10\/students-play-around-with-gel-and-stick-electrodes-on-each-other-during-electrophysiology-practical\/","title":{"rendered":"Students play around with gel and stick electrodes on each other during Electrophysiology practical"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students use electroencephalography in their Electrophysiology class to measure their brain activity. \u201cOops, sorry \u2013 I\u2019ve overdone it with the gel!\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPauline Wiersema<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u201cI don\u2019t want to be the test subject\u201d, one student in the waiting room of the Erasmus Behavioural Lab decides. There are nine students in the waiting room who will shortly be divided into three groups for the practical and who will have to stick electrodes on each other for EEG measurements. \u201cMe neither\u201d, says another student, who previously took part in a study that involved her wearing an EEG cap as a test subject. This involved covering her scalp with gel to allow the electrodes to conduct the signal. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not doing that ever again. I kept finding gel residue in my hair \u2013 even after a week.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Lecture: <\/strong>Electrophysiology (Thursday 10.00 in the Mandeville building, Erasmus Behavioural Lab on the 12th floor)<\/p>\n

Lecturer:<\/strong>\u00a0Kristel de Groot coordinates the course, but shares the responsibility of supervising groups of students with Sharon Singh, Christiaan Tieman and Muhammet Sahan.<\/p>\n

Subject:<\/strong>\u00a0How to measure brain activity using EEG.<\/p>\n

Audience:<\/strong>\u00a0A total of thirty Master\u2019s students in Biological & Cognitive Psychology and Clinical Research Psychology. Most of them arrive on time \u2013 but for some, punctuality is an issue.<\/p>\n

Reason to attend the lecture:<\/strong> You get to \u2018play\u2019 with real EEG equipment. Or you get to chill out and take on the role of test subject: kick back in the examination chair and get your fellow students to get you coffee. Downside: once you\u2019re hooked up to the electrodes, you can\u2019t use the loo for the rest of the session.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

Recording EEG independently<\/h2>
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\u201cGood morning!\u201d Lecturer Kristel de Groot welcomes her students and briefly explains that the aim of today\u2019s practical is to teach them how to independently perform EEG research. \u201cYou will likely need EEG in your future research, so it\u2019s important that you are able to do it correctly and with precision\u201d, she says. De Groot then divides the students into smaller groups. Students Andrea and Yentl accompany her to lab 4. The group also includes student Yoeri, who is as yet nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n

De Groot opens the door to the lab and rolls her wheelchair back to let the students in: the hallway is too narrow to enter three abreast. The white lab reveals a black examination chair positioned at a computer.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPauline Wiersema<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u201cDo either of you know what these are?\u201d, says the lecturer, pointing at two devices on a table behind the chair. \u201cI think that\u2019s an AD converter and this is the battery\u201d, Yentl replies. \u201cThat\u2019s right\u201d, says De Groot.<\/p>\n

32 electrodes lie beside the two devices \u2013 small, round metal discs attached to thin wires that are plugged into the cap during EEG research and which record the brain waves. The AD converter transforms the data and transmits it to the computer in the adjacent room. Just when the lecturer is about the explain how the devices work, Yoeri walks in. \u201cSorry I\u2019m late\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

Guinea pig <\/h2>
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After an in-depth explanation, it\u2019s time to get the test subject ready. Yentl and Andrea give each other an apprehensive look. \u201cNo worries \u2013 I\u2019ll do it!\u201d, Yoeri says without even hesitating. He sits in the chair while Yentl and Andrea fit him with the correct size cap.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re working with electrodes, make sure to always grasp them at the body, and not the wire, because the wires will break if you apply too much pressure\u201d, the lecturer explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I always thought that the discs were so fragile that you shouldn\u2019t touch them\u201d, Andrea says.<\/p>\n

De Groot: \u201cSure \u2013 they might look fragile, but the electrodes are actually well protected within a plastic casing, so they\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two students divide the work between them. Yentl sticks the electrodes to the left side of Yoeri\u2019s head while Andrea takes care of the right side. First they apply gel to the scalp through the small holes in the cap. The gel is needed to properly conduct the brain activity.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPauline Wiersema<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

\u201cGeez, you\u2019ve got so much hair!\u201d, Andrea laughs when she tries to apply the gel to Yoeri\u2019s scalp using the tip of the blunt syringe. \u201cIt helps if you wiggle the syringe around a bit\u201d, De Groot explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t feel any gel on my head\u2026 Okay, now I do!\u201d, says Yoeri. Some gel oozes out of the cap on Yentl\u2019s side. \u201cOops \u2013 sorry! I\u2019ve overdone it with the gel! \u201d, she says, laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, we have tissues here for a reason\u201d, De Groot says, passing her some paper towels. \u201cIt\u2019ll be fine, you\u2019ll be able to practice with the rest of the electrodes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fantastic<\/h2>
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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPauline Wiersema<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Lieke, another student, is the test subject in the next lab. \u201cApparently you can put quite a lot of pressure on a person\u2019s face\u201d, she says, laughing. \u201cBecause I didn\u2019t feel any pain at all when my fellow students were sticking electrodes to my face.\u201d Her classmate Sara says she thought the practical was fantastic. \u201cI\u2019ve always been interested in how the brain works\u201d, she says. \u201cWe were taught the theory beforehand, but now that I\u2019ve done it myself, I really get how measuring brain waves works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Yoeri, Yentl and Andrea have completed the first round of the practical. \u201cI\u2019ve really learned a lot\u201d, says Andrea. \u201cKristel explained everything really well. She\u2019s also very patient and took us through it all step by step. Anytime we made a mistake or had any questions, she\u2019d explain it all again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sara and Lieke agree. \u201cKristel is one of the best lecturers we have. She\u2019s really easy to talk to. As a student, you can always turn to her and ask her anything\u201d, says Lieke. \u201cI\u2019ve really learned a lot during her lectures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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