1: Introduction and Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

give 3 examples of cognitive processes

A

thinking, perceiving, remembering

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2
Q

how does cognitive neuroscience add to our understanding of cognition

A

provides a brain based account of cognitive processes

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3
Q

what are the limitations of cognitive neuroscience’s explanatory power?

A

Cognitive neuroscience tests psychological theories but local blood oxygen and RTs are just data, they do not tell us HOW things happen

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4
Q

what does EEG stand for?

A

Electroencephalography

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5
Q

what does MEG stand for?

A

Magnetoencephalography

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6
Q

what does PET stand for?

A

Positron Emission Tomography

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7
Q

what does fMRI stand for?

A

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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8
Q

what does DTI stand for?

A

Diffusion Tensor Imaging

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9
Q

what does fNIRS stand for?

A

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

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10
Q

what does iEEG stand for?

A

Intracranial electroencephalography

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11
Q

what does TMS stand for?

A

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

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12
Q

what does TES stand for?

A

Transcranial electrical stimulation

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13
Q

what does tACS stand for?

A

Transcranial alternating current stimulation

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14
Q

what does tDCS stand for?

A

Transcranial direct current stimulation

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15
Q

what are two invasive methods in cognitive neuroscience?

A

single-cell recording & PET

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16
Q

which 2 methods use the electrical properties of the brain?

A

EEG & single-cell recordings

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17
Q

which neuroscience measure uses the electromagnetic part of the brain?

A

TMS

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18
Q

which neuroscience measure uses the brain’s magnetic properties?

A

MEG

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19
Q

which 2 neuroscience methods rely on the brain’s hemodynamic properties?

A

PET & fMRI

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20
Q

which neuroscience measure looks at activity on the neuron level?

A

single-cell recording & multi-unit recording

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21
Q

how do electrophysiological techniques (eg single-cell recording) work?

A

Very small electrode implanted into axon (intracellular) or outside axon membrane (extracellular)
Records neural activity from population of neurons
Electrodes, consisting of thin wires, are implanted into specific areas of the brain. Recordings of brain cell activities are made by measuring the electrical potential of nearby neurons that are in close proximity to the electrode.

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22
Q

how does EEG work?

A

The measurement of the electrical activity of the brain by recording from electrodes placed on the scalp.
EEG signals represent the change in the potential difference between two electrodes placed on the scalp in time
The EEG obtained on several trials can be averaged together time locked to the stimulus to form an event-related potential (ERP) - individual reading have too much noise
ERPs are voltage fluctuations that are associated in time with particular event (visual, auditory, olfactory stimuli)

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23
Q

what would be the EEG code for a point on the brain on the occipital lobe?

A

O then a number

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24
Q

what role does a reference electrode play in EEG?

A

Reference electrode goes down the centre of the head and is used to compare the difference between areas and the centre

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25
Q

which ERP peak is associated with distinguishing a face from other stimuli?

A

N170

26
Q

what does ERP stand for?

A

event-related potential

27
Q

which ERP peak is associated with recognising familiar and famous faces?

A

P300

28
Q

which ERP peak is associated with recognising what a face is?

A

N250

29
Q

what range of ERP peak is associated with recognising exactly who someone is?

A

P400-600

30
Q

how is the N170 ERP peak influenced?

A

perceptual change to image

31
Q

how is the N250 ERP peak influenced?

A

familiarity

32
Q

how is the P400-600 ERP peak influenced?

A

faces and names

33
Q

what part of the brain would P3 coincide with (EEG)?

A

parietal 3

34
Q

what EEG differences do patients with dementia show compared to contols?

A

reduced P300 is seen for the demented patients at each electrode site - used for recognition of familiar/famous faces

35
Q

how is the resolution for MEGs?

A

Excellent temporal and spatial resolution

36
Q

what do single cell recordings tell us about the brain?

A

Single cells studies tell us how neurons code information, by measuring their response to external stimuli

37
Q

how are electrical fields produced by neurons converted into an EEG?

A

when the electric field can be detected at the scalp (EEG). When many waves are averaged and linked to the onset of the stimulus, then an ERP is obtained

38
Q

what does varying stimuli for EEG tell us about cognition?

A

The timing and independence of cognitive processes

39
Q

what is the difference between structural & functional MRI?

A

structural: a static image
functional: measures temporary changes

40
Q

what does fMRI directly measure?

A

concentration of deoxyhemoglobin in the blood -BOLD response (Blood Oxygen Level Dependent contrast)

41
Q

what is the BOLD response over time called?

A

hemodynamic response function

42
Q

what limits the temporal resolution of fMRI

A

Hemodynamic Response Function peaks in 6–8 seconds

43
Q

what are voxels in fMRI?

A

measure of brain activity - volume pixels the smallest distinguishable box-shaped part in 3D image

44
Q

what does it mean to day a brain area is ‘active’ (fMRI)

A

it shows a greater response in one condition relative to another

45
Q

what is a cognitive subtraction (fMRI)

A

activity in a control task in subtracted from the activity in the experimental task

46
Q

what is the difficulty with cognitive subtractions?

A

you must find an appropriately difficult & relevant control task to make the subtraction/ effect size valid.

47
Q

what was the disharmony in results for dementia patients in lesions vs fMRI studies?

A

Lesion studies in semantic dementia patients found lesions in the temporal lobe, where the earlier fMRI study did not.

48
Q

what can limit fMRI signal that is not found in PET scans?

A

air-filled sinuses block fMRI signal

49
Q

how do fMRI & PET scans differ in their results for semantic tasks?

A

PET found activation in the temporal lobes, and also the frontal lobes that the fMRI did not

50
Q

how does PET work?

A

Measures local blood flow (rCBF)
Radioactive tracer injected into blood stream (invasive)
When the material undergoes radioactive decay, a positron is emitted, which can be picked up by the detector
Areas of high radioactivity are associated with brain activity, based on blood volume

51
Q

what limits the temporal resolution of PET?

A

Tracer takes up to 30 seconds to peak

52
Q

how does DTI work?

A

An imaging method that uses a modified MRI scanner to reveal bundles of axons in the living brain
Measures white matter organisation based on limited diffusion of water molecules in axons

53
Q

what does DTI show us?

A

We can visualise connections in the brain

54
Q

how does fNIRS work?

A

Measures the same BOLD response as fMRI but in a completely different way
‘Light’ in infrared range passes through skull and scalp but is scattered differently by oxy- v. deoxyhemoglobin

55
Q

how does fNIRS compare to fMRI in practicality?

A

Portable and more tolerant of head movement but can’t image deep structures

56
Q

what are the advantages of iEEG/ECoG

A

The only method that gives us the high resolution in both place and time is intracranial recording

57
Q

when is iEEG used?

A

when we record directly from inside the human brain, when people are undergoing neurosurgery

58
Q

why are iEEGs placed on the brain?

A

They are placed to locate the seizure and map function (for neurosurgery purposes)

59
Q

where does iEEG/ECoG measure from?

A

straight from the cortical surface

60
Q

what parts of the brain are activated by a hand grasping task?

A

neurons in supplementary motor area (SMA), and hippocampus

61
Q

is single cell recording used on humans?

A

no