3 How to Study the Brain Flashcards
Methods to study the brain
- behavioural studies
- manipulation of brain function
- neuroanatomy and histology
- electrophysiology
- imaging (MRI and PET)
- computational modes/ brain based devices
What happened to patient HM?
He had a surgical resection of the medial temporal lobe, mainly the hippocampus, to stop epileptic seizures. However this led to striking impairments in specific types of memory, including aspects of declarative and spatial memory
TMS
Trans- cranial magnetic stimulation, a safe method of manipulating brain regions
What is the hippocampus necessary for?
Spatial and declarative memory
What is tract tracing?
PHA-L is injected into a region of the brain and are then transported to related parts of the brain
What does tract tracing of the hippocampus show us
The hippocampus is connected to all the sensory areas of the cortex
What are single unit electrophysiology recordings?
Recordings that show which neurons are firing when exposed to certain stimuli
What are local field potential recordings?
They record electrical potentials generated by many neurons
When are single unit or LFP recordings conducted on humans?
Only in rare cases of pre surgical evaluation of epilepsy patients
What are safe ways of showing where brain signals are coming from?
Surface EEG and magnetencephalography
How do MRI scans work?
They show the structure of the brain by detecting the density of hydrogen nuclei in each area
What is the most common method of functional MRI?
Based on changes in Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) MR signal
PET
Positron emission tomography, it involves the injection of radioactive tracers
