draginski Flashcards
draginski aim
To see wether learning a new skill -in this case juggling- would affect the brains of participants
procedure draginski
- 24 volunteers between 20-24.
- 21 females, 3 males
All participants were none jugglers
All participants had an MRI scan at the start of the study to serve as a base rate for grey matter and brain structure
Participants were allocated to one of two conditions, jugglers and none jugglers
Juggling condition was taught a three ball cascade juggling routine
They were asked to practice this routine and notify the researcher when they had mastered it
After this, they had a second MRI scan
After the scan they had three months to not juggle, and a final scan was carried out
The none juggling group was a control
results draginski
A voxel based morphometry was used to determine if there was significant differences in the grey matter density
In the base scan, there was no significant difference in the grey matters
After second MRI scan more grey matter was observed in the mid temporal area in both hemispheres (associated with memory)
Three months after in the final checkup when participants had lost these skills the grey matter in these areas had decreased
Control had no changes
It was observed that juggling is based more on the visual memory rather than the procedural memory, concluded by the area of grey matter
conclusion dragisnki
We can see that there is a connection between neuroplasticity and development of new processes and activities as the process of learning juggling happened to increase grey matter, whereas when this activity is not being used or was never taught, the grey matter does not grow
antonova aim
To determine how blocking the acetylcholine receptors with scopolamine affects spatial memory.
antonova research method
Lab experiment. Double-blind experiment
antonova procedure
20 healthy male adults, double bling. 2 conditions. Injected with either scopolamine or a placebo 70-90 min before the experimental task. Participants were put into fMRI scan while play a virtual reality arena task. Participants were first trained in game so they knew the rules. After training, the participants’ brain activity were measured for 6 trials. Participants returned 3-4 weeks later and redid the test with opposite treatment to original study.
The arena task - was a complex virtual reality game, goal is to navigate around an “arena” with goal of reaching a role. After learning where the pole is, screen goes black for 30 s, during time participants were asked to rehearse how to get to the pole in the arena. When the arena reappeared, the participant was at a new starting point. Had to use spatial memory to determine how to get to the location of the pole.
antonova findings
When the participants were injected with scopolamine, they demonstrated a significant reduction in the activation of the hippocampus compared to when they received a placebo.
This suggests that scopolamine impairs memorization of new information by decreasing spiking activity within the hippocampus.
weissman aim
To study the potential genetic nature of MDD
weissman procedure
Longitudinal family study
grandchildren, parents, grandparents
20 years long
The original depressed patients were taken from outpatient clinic that dealt with mood disorders
none depressed grandparents taken from same community
Original parents and children interviewed 4 times in 20 years
Clinicians that collected data were blind to past interviews and past MDD diagnosis
Researcher triangulation used.
Children done by one psychologist and one psychiatrist
weissman results
Children with two generations above of MDD had high rates of psychiatric disorders
Children with non depressed parents less likely to develop
Severity of depression in parents plays a role
If parents were depressed, yet not grandparents, no significant effect on grandchildren
conclusions weissman
To conclude this study suggests that two generations of MDD will be highly impactful on psychiatric disorders in kids, therefore representing that genetics does in fact play a role in development of MDD
