2.7 Flashcards
Explain what happened to Phineas Gage.
He was a railroad worker who was injured by an explosion where a rod shot clean through his head. He was able to walk and suffered no cognitive defects, but had a severe personality change. This was because his limbic system was severed and his frontal lobe was damaged
What are Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga known for?
Split brain research
Why would someone have a split brain procedure done?
To treat severe epilepsy
Describe what happens to an individual when the corpus callosum is cut.
The right and left hemisphere can no longer communicate. There is no loss of intelligence or change in a person’s personality
What happened to a split-brain patient when shown a word in their right visual field?
The patient would be able to say the word, because the word would be processed by the left hemisphere of the brain, which processes language
Explain when lesion studies would be used
This is when doctors or researchers will destroy specific parts of the brain, with the goal of treating a disorder, or gaining insight into different functions of the brain because they can isolate a specific area at a time to research
Identify two benefits to performing an autopsy on an individual’s brain
1) Helps understand the extent of a disease 2) Provides information for an individual’s next of kin 3) Helps understand cause of death
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Electrodes are placed on an individual’s scalp. This allows researchers to record electrical signals from neurons firing, which can be used for sleep and seizure research
Computed tomography (CT)
A series of advanced x-rays of the brain. Used to locate brain damage, tumors, and more.
Positron emission tomography (PET scan)
Involves injecting a small amount of radioactive glucose into an individual and then tracking the usage of glucose in specific regions of the brain.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Provides a detailed picture of the brain by using a strong magnetic field to cause molecules to vibrate at different frequencies
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Scan is similar to an MRI, but fMRI scans show the MRI images in real time while the brain is active.
