Electrophysiological recordings of brain activity Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the features of Micro-electrode recordings?

A
  • Highly invasive - require surgery
  • High temporal resolution - Measures spikes and post-synaptic potentials
  • High spatial resolution - measures activity at the source
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2
Q

What are the features of EEG/ERP?

A
  • Non invasive
  • Measures post-synaptic potentials
  • High temporal resolution - fast electrical processes
  • Low spatial resolution
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3
Q

What are the features of PET?

A
  • Moderately invasive - radioactivity
  • Measures metabolic correlates of neural activity (blood flow etc)
  • High spatial resolution
  • Low temporal resolution
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4
Q

What are the features of fMRI?

A
  • Non invasive
  • Indirectly measures metabolic correlates of neural activity
  • Highest spatial resolution
  • Low temporal resolution
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5
Q

What is micro-electrode recordings also known as?

A

Single-cell recordings

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6
Q

When are M-E recordings only administered?

A

During brain surgery

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7
Q

What is typically measured in M-E recordings?

A

Firing rate - frequency of action potential

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8
Q

What is the advantage of M-E recordings?

A

Most direct and precise measure of brain activity

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9
Q

What are the disadvantages of M-E recordings?

A
  • Restricted in terms of patients and brain areas to be studied as its invasive
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10
Q

What other type of M-E recordings can be used (non-invasive)?

A

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

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11
Q

What is EEG?

A

Change of voltage recorded from sensors on scalp

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12
Q

What is the field potential?

A

Potential measured outside the neurone

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13
Q

Where is EEG most sensitive to activity?

A

Cortical tissue - closest to scalp

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14
Q

What is the examination of how rapidly an EEG signal oscillates called?

A

Frequency/spectral analysis

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15
Q

What is frequency analysis?

A

Number of oscillations per unit of time

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16
Q

What is a higher frequency activity of EEG associated with?

A

Greater cortical activity

17
Q

Why is EEG better than fMRi?

A

Cheaper, more portable

18
Q

What do event related potentials (ERPs) refer to?

A

Methodology of analysing EEG recordings by extracting from the EEG segments time-locked to specific events

19
Q

How are ERPs recorded?

A

Averaging segments

20
Q

What are the strengths of EEGs?

A
  • High temporal resolution - provides detailed temporal info about the processing of stimulus
  • Frequency analysis allows us to study things like sleep and epilepsy
21
Q

What are the limitations of EEGs?

A
  • Limited spatial resolution
  • Unable to localise activity in the brain with precision due to complexity of inverse problem