Lecture 18 Flashcards
What is the primary focus of cognitive neuroscience?
Cognitive neuroscience focuses on studying brain function and behavior, relating cognitive processes to brain function.
How does cognitive psychology differ from cognitive neuroscience?
Cognitive psychology explores complex mental processes, while cognitive neuroscience links these processes to brain function.
Name two common tools used in cognitive neuroscience research.
Common tools in cognitive neuroscience research include functional brain imaging (e.g., fMRI) and brain lesion analysis.
Explain the purpose of brain lesion analysis in cognitive neuroscience.
Brain lesion analysis helps understand the function of specific brain regions by studying individuals with lesions in those regions and observing cognitive deficits.
What does EEG stand for, and what does it record?
EEG stands for Electroencephalography, and it records the brain’s electrical activity.
How does EEG work, and what are the electrodes attached to?
EEG involves attaching electrodes to the surface of the scalp to detect and record brain electrical signals.
What is the main advantage of using EEG in cognitive neuroscience research?
EEG provides excellent temporal resolution, allowing researchers to study the timing of brain activity in response to specific events.
Explain what Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) are and how they are generated
ERPs are EEG traces that result from time-locking EEG recordings to specific events or stimuli. They are generated by averaging EEG responses to multiple trials of the same event, highlighting the brain’s electrical response to that event.
What information can researchers extract from ERPs in cognitive neuroscience studies?
Researchers can analyze ERPs in terms of latency (timing), amplitude, polarity (positive or negative), and scalp topography. ERPs provide valuable insights into the brain’s response to specific events, but their spatial resolution is limited.
What are the two broad categories of neuroimaging, and what types of images do they provide?
Neuroimaging falls into two categories: structural imaging (e.g., CT, MRI, DTI) and functional imaging (e.g., PET, fMRI). Structural imaging provides images of the brain’s structure, while functional imaging shows brain activity.
How does computed tomography (CT) work, and what type of brain images does it produce?
CT uses X-ray technology to produce structural brain images by taking a series of cross-sectional images.
What is the primary advantage of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over CT in neuroimaging?
MRI provides brain images with much higher resolution compared to CT.
Describe diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and what it helps visualize in the brain.
DTI, which uses an MRI scanner, provides images of white matter tracts (axons) in the brain.
Explain how positron emission tomography (PET) works and what it measures in the brain.
PET detects radioactive material that participants either inhale or are injected with. It measures the concentration and distribution of the radioactive substance in metabolically active areas of the brain, providing a functional view.
What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and how does it differ from traditional MRI?
fMRI records changes related to metabolic activity in the brain and provides a functional view with considerably greater spatial resolution than PET scanning.
