Chapter 3

Question 1

what are the key methods scientists used to learn about the brain?

Answer 1

examine autopsy tissue, test patients with damaged brains, record electrical brain activity through electrodes, animal studies

Question 2

what is neuroscience?

Answer 2

the study of the brain and nervous system

Question 3

what is neuroimaging?

Answer 3

a technique that studies brain activity and structure by obtaining visual images in awake humans

Question 4

pros vs cons

examining autopsy tissue

Answer 4

p- allows scientists to study structure

c-cant see how systems worked when alive and in use

Question 5

what is a neuropsychologist?

Answer 5

scientists who specialize in studying the brain

Question 6

pros (1) and cons (4)

testing patients with brain damage

Answer 6

c- cannot make statements about cause and effect, could be an undetectable issue in another part of the brain, brain may undergo reorganization over time, pathway could be damaged instead
p- localized brain damage helps infer what a particular part of the brain did

Question 7

EEG’s

Answer 7

electroencephalograms, brain activity recorded through electrodes attached to the scalp, noninvasive

Question 8

What are EEG’s used for?

Answer 8

a way to measure or learn about the brain when performing certain tasks

Question 9

Pros and cons

EEG’s

Answer 9

make predictions about functional effects of brain injuries and identify types of seizure disorders
- con
only provide a summary of surface activity which led to ERP

Question 10

what is ERP?

Answer 10

event-related potentials
-improved EEG’s
sensory, cognitive or motor activities taking place and then focus on wave patterns at time of event and following the stimulus

Question 11

pros and cons

ERP

Answer 11

good at knowing when events take place but

not ideal for identifying where in the brain the activity takes place

Question 12

animal studies

Answer 12

studies on animal nervous systems

pro- gives us the ability to study areas of the brain and functions

Question 13

lesioning

Answer 13

targeting specific brain areas for destruction and observing effects on behaviour

Question 14

TMS

Answer 14

transcranial magnetic stimulation

delivers an electromagnetic pulse to targeted brain area, to disrupt localized brain activity,

Question 15

types of neuroimaging

Answer 15

CAT or CT, MRI and DTI

Question 16

CAT or CT

Answer 16

computerized (or computed) axial tomography

produce clear, detailed, 2 D x-ray images

Question 17

MRI

Answer 17

magnetic resonance imaging

uses string magnets, produce much clearer images than CT and doesn’t use radiation

Question 18

why do we still use CT scans?

Answer 18

better at detecting problems, CT scans are better with cancer where MRI’s are better with tendons and ligaments, spinal cord or brain
Ct’s are faster and cost less
MRI’s cant be used with metal in the body

Question 19

DTI

Answer 19

diffusion tensor imaging
orientation and integrity of white matter
helpful with concussions

Question 20

functional vs structural

Answer 20

functional- examines the functions during specific behaviours

structural- examines the structure of the brain

Question 21

PET

Answer 21

positron emission tomography
a harmless radioactive substance is injected into blood and measured through radioactivity, active areas have more blood flow