Chapter 5 Flashcards
Lesion study
Experiment in which part of the brain is damaged and the animals behavior is subsequently observed
Experimental ablation
Destroying part of the brain and evaluating the animals subsequent behavior
Excitotoxic lesion
Brain lesion produced by intracerebral injection of an excitatory amino acid, such as Kainic acid (stimulate to death)
Lesion
Wound or injury
Sham lesion
A “placebo” procedure that duplicates all the steps of producing a brain lesion except for the one that actually causes the brain damage
Muscimol
Drug that stimulates GABA receptors, inactivated a region of the brain by inhibiting the neurons located there (temporary lesion)
Computerized tomography (CT)
The use is a device that employs a computer to analyze data obtained by a scanning beam of X-rays to produce a two-dimensional picture if a “slice” through the body
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
The interior of the body can be accurately imaged; involves the interaction between radio waves and a strong magnetic field
Microelectrode
A very fine electrode, generally used to record activity of individual neurons
Single-unit recording
recording the electrode activity of a single neuron
Macroelectrode
an electrode used to record the electrical activity of large numbers of neurons in particular regions of the brain
Electroencephalograms (EEGs)
an electrical brain potential recorded by placing electrodes on in the scalp
Magnetoencephalography
A procedure that detects groups of synchronously activated neurons by means of the magnetic field induced by their electrical activity; uses an array of Superconducting Quantam Interference Devices (SQUIDS)
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
The use of a device that reveals the localization of a radioactive tracer (2-DG) in a living brain
funcitonal MRI (FMRI)
a modification of the MRI procedure that permits the measurement of regional metabolism in the brain- detects levels of oxygen in the brain’s blood vessels
