Biopsychology - ways of investigating the brain

Question 1

what are the four ways of investigating the brain?

Answer 1

fMRIs, post mortem, EEGs, event related potentials

Question 2

what is post mortem

Answer 2

analysis of the brain after death, compared to neurotypical brain, only done on someone who has experienced trauma or cognitive disfuntion

Question 3

evaluation of post mortem

Answer 3

+ vital for providing early understanding of the brain, (e.g. Broca and Wernicke)
- issues of consent
- causation, unknown trauma that changed brain?

Question 4

what is an fMRI

Answer 4

huge magnet that detects changes in oxygen levels in the brain through changes in haemoglobin (haemodynamic response). through this they create activation maps, where active areas light up

Question 5

evaluation of fMRIs

Answer 5

+ doesn’t rely on radiation so very safe
+ high resolution and great spatial resolution (easier to pinpoint activity)
- uncomfortable and scary for some
- expensive
- poor temporal resolution (time lag)

Question 6

what is an EEG

Answer 6

measures electrical activity in the brain with electrodes being attached to skull. scan represents brainwaves through neurons firing (sending electrical impulses)

Question 7

evaluation of EEG

Answer 7

+ low cost
+ measure brain activity in seconds
+ many clinical applications (diagnosing epilepsy)
+ less daunting for patients
- very generalised information (can’t pinpoint due to poor spatial resolution)
- limited ability to record structures deeper than cortexes

Question 8

what is an event related potential

Answer 8

uses a statistical averaging technique on EEGS to see the brainwaves associated with a particular event or task

Question 9

evaluation of event related potentials

Answer 9

+ more specific than EEGs
+ high temporal resolution
- lack of standardization in methodology