Chapter 5 Part 1

Question 1

Contrast x-ray techniques

Answer 1

Involve injecting into one compartment of the body a substance that absorbs X-rays either less than or more than the surrounding tissue. The injected substance then heightens the contrast between the compartment and the surrounding tissue.

Question 2

Cerebral angiography

Answer 2

A contrast X-ray technique that uses the infusion of a radio-opaque dye into a cerebral artery to visualize the cerebral circulatory system during X-ray photography.

Question 3

Computed tomography (CT)

Answer 3

A computer assisted X-ray procedure that can be used to visualize the brain and other internal structures of the living body.

During the cerebral computed tomography, the neurological patient lies with his or her head positioned in the center of a large cylinder. On one side of the cylinder is an X-ray tube that projects an X-ray beam through the head.

Question 4

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Answer 4

Technique that can turn off an area of the cortex by creating a magnetic field under a coil position next to the skull.

Question 5

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 5

A measure of the gross electrical activity of the brain recorded through large electrodes. The technique is called electroencephalography.

Reflects the sum of electrical events throughout the head (action potentials and postsynaptic potentials as well as electrical signals from the skin, muscles, blood, and eyes)

Question 6

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Answer 6

Measures changes in magnetic fields on the surface of the scalp that are produced by changes in the underlying patterns of neural activity.

Question 7

Electrooculography (EOG)

Answer 7

Technique for recording eye movement.

Question 8

Electrocardiogram (EKG)

Answer 8

Recording of heart beat.

Question 9

Electromyography

Answer 9

The usual procedure for measuring muscle tension.

Question 10

Plethysmography

Answer 10

Refers to various techniques for measuring changes in the volume of blood in a particular part of the body.

Question 11

Stereotaxic atlas

Answer 11

Used to locate brain structures (kind of like a geographic atlas).

Question 12

Bregma

Answer 12

The point on the top of the skull where two of the major sutures (seams in the skull) intersect.

Question 13

Gene knockout technique

Answer 13

Procedures for creating organisms that lack a particular gene under investigation.

Question 14

Green fluorescent protein (GFP)

Answer 14

A protein that exhibits bright green fluorescent when exposed to blue light.

Question 15

Gene replacement techniques

Answer 15

Replacing one gene with another.

Mice that contain the genetic material of another species are called transgenic mice.