Functional Neuroimaging lecture

Question 1

EEG

Answer 1

Electroencephalography

• measures electrical brain activity via electrodes
• brain activity occurs w/ electrical impulse firing
• excellent temporal
• poor spatial

Question 2

MEG

Answer 2

Magnetoencephalography

• measures magnetic fields produced by electric currents
• excellent temporal
• poor spatial

Question 3

Spatial resolution

Answer 3

localizing where in brain the activity is occurring

Question 4

Temporal resolution

Answer 4

measurement of how brain responds in real time (what it does when)

Question 5

fNIRS

Answer 5

functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

• measures hemodynamic response to brain activity (oxygenated blood will flow to region of brain activity)
• fair temporal
• great spatial (esp. cortical region)

Question 6

fMRI

Answer 6

functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

• measures hemodynamic response to brain activity (oxygenated blood will flow to region of brain activity)
• fair temporal
• BEST spatial

Question 7

PET

Answer 7

Positron Emission Tomography

• measure radio-tracer concentrations
• “snapshot” of brain glucose metabolism and receptor binding
• poor temporal
• fair spatial

Question 8

SPECT

Answer 8

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography

• measure radio-tracer concentrations
• how a particular neurochemical binds to certain areas in brain
• poor temporal
• fair spatial

Question 9

Landers et al: EEG biofeedback study

Answer 9

• monitored pre-elite archers brain activity during release preparation
• used neurofeedback intervention to manipulate three groups:
  1) emulate pro-archer brain: decrease in low frequency, left hemisphere brain activity
  2) decrease low frequency right hemisphere brain activity
  3) control
  results: group 1 showed most improvement

Question 10

Landers et al. takeaway

Answer 10

the use of neuroimaging to study how brain activity is related to performance; use neuroimaging to evaluate increases in performance (what mechanisms are at work?))