Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is neuroscience
The study of the nervous system. Including it’s structures, functions, development, degeneration and in health or disease.
What is behavioural neuroscience
The study of the neural mechanisms which underly behaviour and psychological processes. These explain how we think, perceive, learn and show emotion.
Advantages and disadvantages of sMRI
+ non-invasive
little health risk
good spatial resolution
- expensive machine
noisy and cramped.
What is sMRI used for
To investigate brain structure and shape. As well as differences between people.
How does a structural MRI work?
Water in body
Contains Hydrogen which is susceptible to the magnet.
H atoms align with direction of magnetic field.
Radiofrequency sent from machine then moves them.
Then Radio frequency is turned off and they return to original alignment whilst releasing radio waves.
The machine detects these radio waves to produce detailed images
How does Functional MRI work
Machine detects change in blood flow using Blood Oxygen Level Dependent. This reflects the change in oxygen levels in blood.
Where the brain is active neurons need more oxygen and so there is increased blood flow to that area .
Oxygenated blood has magnetic properties.
The change in magnetic properties is detected.
What is fMRI used for.
Measure functional activity of the brain whilst participants perform a task.
Investigate which areas are active in certain condition, changes between people and change before and after intervention.
Advantages and disadvantages of fMRI
+ non- invasive
little health risk
good spatial resolution
- poor temporal resolution
not a direct measure of brain activity
expensive machine
noisy and cramped.
What is the difference between spatial and temporal resolution
Spatial: where the activity is coming from
Temporal: when the activity is occurring
How does EEG work
Places small electrodes on the scalp to detect electrical activity.
As neurons produce electrical charges which form patterns
These are then transmitted to the computed which displays these as brain waves.
What is EEG used for
To investigate electrical brain activity.
Find temporal information and diagnose neurological conditions.
What can EEG measure
1) Brain waves and oscillations
these are repetitive patterns of neural activity. They are sorted as Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta based of frequency.
2) Event related potentials.
Presenting the subject with a stimulus and measuring the response using EEG. Repeating multiple times to filter out unrelated background activity.
P1, 2 3 are positive components seen after the stimuli
N1 and 2 are negative ones.
This looks at the cognitive state after a stimulus.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of EEG
+ non- invasive
inexpensive
very good temporal resolution.
- only detects from cortical areas.
poor spatial resolution as activity can be detected through any electrode.
