This article discusses various scenes from the film Sound of Metal. Although what is discussed likely will not come as any great surprise to anyone generally familiar with the film, be aware that mild “spoilers” are ahead! If you haven’t yet seen the film but choose to read on, this article contains some clips from […]
Author Archives: megkirch
June
18
Left over right: Communicative auditory processing from mice to men
posted by megkirch
The terms “left” and “right”, if not used to give directions, are often evoked to describe a preference. You might prefer to kick with your right leg, or throw with your right arm, or lead with your right foot on your skateboard or surfboard. Political convictions often lean left or right. And then there’s handedness, […]
March
26
How is your brain coping with social distancing?
posted by megkirch
[En español] Amidst an ever-growing national and global crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ve probably already heard about (and are hopefully practicing) social distancing. The Center for Disease Control defines social distancing as “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible”. […]
August
08
Sharing the Stories of Women in Neuroscience
posted by megkirch
One year ago, Dr. Nancy Padilla was reviewing a list of speaker names for a seminar series organized by postdoctoral fellows in her department. She saw nothing wrong with the list as it was full of prominent and excellent neuroscientists – that is, until her colleague pointed out that the list did not include a […]
July
25
In a world of “blind imagination”: The science of Aphantasia
posted by megkirch
[En Español] Picture yourself in your childhood home. Imagine your bedroom – your bed, perhaps some posters on the wall, and whatever other salient features you can conjure with your mind’s eye. Do you see yourself in it, or are you seeing it as though through your own eyes…or do you not “see” anything at […]
April
04
Looking beyond biology: Autism in the workforce
posted by megkirch
“So, what’s the difference between the mind and the brain?” I blinked, bewildered. Most of the time when I try to explain my research to non-neuroscientists (“I study how different types of neurons in the brain process visual information…”), I get polite nods and the occasional follow-up question about why that might be a useful […]
March
07
The “miracle” of eye movements: EMDR and PTSD
posted by megkirch
“Hold that image in your mind,” I say, “and follow my finger”. I proceed to wave my finger in front of your face, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth… Believe it or not, I’m not performing hypnosis in this hypothetical scenario. Instead, I’m describing one of the most successful behavioral treatments for […]
December
20
A Pirate’s Life is NOT for Me: A Deep Dive into Motion Sickness
posted by megkirch
A few months ago, I spent three and a half anxious hours on a rickety motorboat on western Tanzania’s Lake Tanganyika. The cause of my anxiety was not the fact that we were floating over the second deepest freshwater lake in the world in a boat that had already begun to take in some water […]
September
20
Glioblastoma: John McCain’s final battle
posted by megkirch
On August 25th, I received a news notification on my phone that Arizona Senator John McCain had passed away, just one day after halting treatment for glioblastoma and little more than one year after diagnosis. I was taken aback. I’d known this was coming, but not that it would happen so quickly. Moreover, the sorrow […]
May
24
Baby I Swear it’s Déjà Vu
posted by megkirch
It’s one of the most bizarre sensations in the world: feeling like you’ve entered some sort of time loop and are re-experiencing something that’s already happened before. The rational part of you knows that this is a new experience, and yet, you can’t shake the feeling that you’re somehow reliving a brief moment of your […]
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