Our Neurolab Day

There were 4 different set ups:

1.) Cup stacking- an experiment about motor learning

2.) Electroencephalography (EEG)- where we learnt about how the electric in our brain changed  depending on what we did

3.) Pig´s brain: we dissected pigs´ brains and identified different areas

4.)  Looking at brain cells under the microscope: here we stained and identified different types of neurons of the brain

Cup staking: In this experiment you can follow the learning process. You learn new movements when staking the 12 cups. After a few rounds you get faster and faster- if you didn´t lose concentration or knocked over a stack by accident. Our form´s record was: 4 seconds

EEG: With the EEG you can measure the brain´s change in electric potential to diagnose illnesses. We could do 3 different experiments with one test person putting on a headband to attach electrodes to the scalp of a test person. That way we tested the effect of different kinds of music – like classical music and ACDC- on our brain potential.

Pig’s brain: When you dissect a pig´s brain, you can see four different parts: for example the spinal chord, cerebellum and cerebrum.

4.)  Looking at brain cells under the microscope: When you did the experiment staining different and identifying different never cells, you cut little piece from different areas of the brain and squeeze them between two slides. After that you stain them, so that it is easier to see the nerve cells.

After the practical work we prepared presentations on our results.

All in all it was a very interesting day with cool experiments. Just when dissecting a pig´s brain we really needed gas masks. Formaldehyde does not smell nice at all!

By Svenja Stachulla and Elisabth Quirl, form 8e LLG