Biological Psychlogy Methods

Question 1

What is the scientific method?

Answer 1

Process of sytmeatically collecting and evaluating evidence to test ideas, understnad a topic and answer questions

Question 2

What was Phineas Gage (1823-1860) known for?

Answer 2

• Large rod passing through his skull and damaged his frontal lobe

Question 3

What is ablation?

Answer 3

Removal of brain area

Question 4

What is lesion?

Answer 4

Damage of a brain area

Question 5

What was special case about the rod passing through Phineas Gage?

Answer 5

• Few people have damage confined to just one brain area

Question 6

Why distinguishing lesional mania from primary bipolar disorder difficult?

Answer 6

No clear difference in presenting symptoms

Question 7

What is used in distinguishing lesional mania from primary bipolar disorder?

Answer 7

Prognostic marker

Question 8

Is EEG continuous?

Answer 8

Yes

Question 9

What is an Event Related Potential?

Answer 9

A stimulus triggers a change in electrical activity in th ebrain

Question 10

What can be an example of an event?

Answer 10

• Visual/auditory stimulus
• Execution of a cognitive function
• Motor response

Question 11

What must be taken into consideration before recording using a EEG?

Answer 11

Background noise

Question 12

ERPs are evoked by events. What does this mean?

Answer 12

Electrical responses are time-locked to the events

Question 13

What is signal average?

Answer 13

Noise and electrical reponses not time-locked will cancel out

Question 14

How to get an ERR?

Answer 14

1) Get an EEG signal containing repitions of the event (trials)
2) Get a time window around the event of interest
3) Cut EEG into segments aligned to event markers, then compute the average of all segments
4) ERP waveforms have peaks showing the neural activites

Question 15

How can a ERP component be defined?

Answer 15

One of the component waves of the more complex ERP waveform

Question 16

What does each electrode site on the ERP have

Answer 16

A waveform

Question 17

How can waveforms be plotted?

Answer 17

Scalp map

Question 18

Purpose of a waveform at one electrode site?

Answer 18

Informing which condition in stronger than others at twhat time at what locations

Question 19

What is single cell recording?

Answer 19

Response of individual neuorns or a group (population) of neurons

Question 20

WHat is the purpose of single cell/ group cell recording experiments?

Answer 20

Determine what experimental manipulations produce a consistent change in the response rate of an isolated cell or cell population

Question 21

What does single cell and group cell recording enable to determine?

Answer 21

Determine if the patterns have a casual role in a certain type of information processing

Question 22

What is intracellularly

Answer 22

Records single cells

Question 23

What is extracellularly recording?

Answer 23

Records the activity of a small set of neurons

Question 24

How can intracllular signal cell recording occur?

Answer 24

In brains that:
- Have been removed and sliced
- Anethetised subjects
- Behaving subjects that cannot move

Question 25

What are the use of electrophysiological methods?

Answer 25

Identify the response characterisitcs of cells in the visual cortex

Question 26

How is cell recording from a human brain done?

Answer 26

Intracranial electrodes is inserted to localise the abnormality in preparation of the surgical resection

Question 27

What is used in intracrancial recording in humans?

Answer 27

Electrocorticography (ECoG)

Question 28

What tasks are adminstered in electrocorticography

Answer 28

visual and auditory processing visual and auditory language processing short-term memory motor functions

Question 29

How are electrodes placed on the brain surfacE?

Answer 29

Epidurally or subdurally

Question 30

What is bioelectromagnetism?

Answer 30

A discipline that examines the eletric, electromagnetic and magnetic phenomena which arise in biological tissues

Question 31

What happens when electrons travel along a wire?

Answer 31

A magentic field is produced around the electron

Question 32

What position is the magnetic field around the elecric current in a wire?

Answer 32

perpendicular

Question 33

What is the Magnetoencephalography for?

Answer 33

Direct extrnal recording of magnetic fields created by electrical currents in the cortex

Question 34

What is the role of Magnetoencephalography (MEG) in neuroimaging?

Answer 34

Neural correlates of cognitive and perceptual processes Localise affected regions before surgery, detrmine regional and network functionality

Question 35

Who pioneered the Magnetoencephalography (MEG)?

Answer 35

David Cohen in 1968

Question 36

How does Magnetoencephalography (MEG) detect magnetic signal?

Answer 36

Current flow from cortical neurons in both sulci and gyri

Question 37

What are the similarities between MEG and EEG?

Answer 37

Both measure the same underlying neural currents

Question 38

What are the differences between MEG and EEG?

Answer 38

Provide better spatial resolution than EEG

Question 39

What does MEG measure?

Answer 39

Changes in magnetic flux density outside of the head

Question 40

What does EEG measure?

Answer 40

Differences in electric potential at the scalp

Question 41

Where is the MEG kept?

Answer 41

Magentically shielded room

Question 42

Why is the MEG preformed with a dewar?

Answer 42

Contains multiple sensor coils wich do not touch the patient's head

Question 43

What is SQUID?

Answer 43

Super conductin quantum interference device

Question 44

What is the SQUID kept in?

Answer 44

Liquid helium - refrigerant (around -250 C)

Question 45

What are OPMs?

Answer 45

Optically Pumped Magentometers - does not require cryogenic cooling

Question 46

Advantages of MEG?

Answer 46

- Non Invasive - Direct measurement of neuronal function - High temporal resolution (ms or less) - Better spatial reosltuion than EEG - Easy to use clincally - Quiet - Provide a more natural enviornment (e.g subject sitting up)

Question 47

Limitations of MEG?

Answer 47

- Expensive - Lower spatial resolution - Low sensitivity depth

Question 48

WHhat are the precinciples of bioelectromagnetism

Answer 48

- Pass current through coil - Create magnetic fiel d - Magnetic field induces a secondary current to the neurons below the stimulation site (depolarisation)

Question 49

Why is the coil shape in TMS instrumentation important?

Answer 49

Determines how focused the induced current is - hence also the targetd brain area

Question 50

What does it mean if coils have a larger dimensions?

Answer 50

Create an electric field that penetrates deeper but less focal than that of smaller coils

Question 51

What is the purpose of a figure 8 coil?

Answer 51

Focal point of stimulation lies a tthe intersection of the two loops Is 1cm^2 in area

Question 52

What is the purpose of a circular coil

Answer 52

Induces a nonfocal ring shaped electric field maxmium potnetially stimulating a swath of brain regions uner the coil perimeter

Question 53

What are the TMS protocols and parameters online?

Answer 53

- Stimulation is applied while the participant is perofrming a task - Low frequency stimulation (less than 1ms) - Produce transietn stimulation effects that modfiy coritcal excitability short term

Question 54

What are the TMS protocols and parameters offline?

Answer 54

- Stimulation is applied before the participants perform a task - Reptitive stimulation over serveral minutes - Results in longer aftereffects (e.g modulation of cortical excitability)

Question 55

What is pulse intensity?

Answer 55

Strength of stimulation

Question 56

What is pulse frequency?

Answer 56

How many pulses in a sec

Question 57

What is ITI?

Answer 57

Intertrain interval

Question 58

Advantages of TMS?

Answer 58

- Reversible lesions - May establish causal link between brain activation and behaviour - Therapeutic benefits

Question 59

Disadvantages to TMS?

Answer 59

- Risks to subjects - Unpleasant for subjects - Only regions on cortical surfac can be stimulated - Localisation uncertainity - Stimulation level uncertainty