lecture 11 Flashcards
what is EEG
non invasive method that measures electrical activity in the brain
- electrodes on the scalp to measure local electric fields (dipolels) in hte brain
- great temporal resolution but low spatial
used for attentional processes, sleep disorders, epilepsy
EEG history
Hans berger invented the technique
- investigating telepathy
neurophysiologiy of EEG
summation of IPSP and EPSP
- summate across pyramidal cells that produce dipoles
- require large number of neurons to be active and must be lined up (- on top + on bottom)
EEG positive/negative deflections
cannot determine if activity is excitatory or inhibitory
- only have to do with where EPSP or IPSP occurs on cell
negative deflection
negative ions at dendrites
positive deflection
positive ions at dendrites
units of EEG
microvolts uV
- require powerful amplifier and electrode gell because skull membranes weaken signal
inverse problem
impossible to go from electrical activity on scalp to determine electircal activity in brain
- going from set of observations to causal relationship
- source localization algorithims change this
- fMRI is better at spatial resolution
compliment behavior
EEG cannot be used on its own, only to compliment behavior
- need an idea of what youre looking for
oscillatory activity
repetitive frequency patterns that occur within brain
- vary in amplitude, location and frequency
- functionally relevant and related to behavior (mostly)
- represent synchronization of neural activity in brain
types of oscilatory activity
delta- sleep and motivated behavior
theta- cognitive control/effort, memory, goal completion
alpha- attention/wakefulness
beta- alertness, GABA and inhibitory processing, motor system
gamma- memory formation and processing
problem with oscillatory activity
many tasks elicit same levels- debate to what it emans
same oscilatory activity at different parts of scalp means different things
ERPs
time locked - large amount of identical trials averaged
positive- down, negative- up
oddball paradigm- ERP task
people see two different stimuli, one common and other odd
- can be active/passive
- visualm auditory or tactile
p300
oddball task elicits measurable brain response - P300
- positive bump around 300ms after simulus seen
- signal of surprise or context updating
- linked to attention and NE system