Neuroimaging and Reward Flashcards
What are the three methods for neuroimaging?
CT, MRI and PET.
What is the principle of CT neuroimaging?
X-rays are absorbed to different degrees by different tissues of different densities. CT makes very thin slices of density readings.
What are the relative densities of the head in a CT scan?
- Air = Darkest
- Fat
- CSF
- WM
- GM
- Blood from haemorrhage
- Bone = Brightest
What is the principle of Positron Emission Tomography (PET)?
Radiation that is emitted from a radioisotope injected intravenously is registered by external detectors.
Used to highlight areas of increased glucose metabolism (cancers)
What does MRI actually measure?
Time it takes for hydrogen atoms to recover their alignment and spin after the radiofrequency pulse is turned off.
Hydrogen ions in different tissues takes different amounts of time to recover.
What tissues have the fastest and slowest recovery times in MRI?
Fat = fastest (brightest)
WM
GM
CSF = slowest (darkest)
What does T1 weighted MRI highlight and what does it measure?
T1 good for highlighting fat by measuring the recovery time for the magnetic alignment of the hydrogen atoms to return to resting alignment.
What does T2 weighted MRI highlight and what does it measure?
T2 good for highlighting water by measuring recovery time for the axial spin of the hydrogen atoms to return to resting state after the radio-frequency pulse is turned off.
What is a T2-FLAIR?
Fluid Attenuation Inversion Recovery. Used to distinguish between free flowing fluid and non free flowing like in oedema.
What is Anisotropy?
The degree to which hydrogen ions travel along white fibre bundles. Used as a measure of white fibre bundle integrity.
What is Isotropic, Anisotropic and Fractional Anisotrophy?
Isotropic (0) = hydrogen ions not constrained
Anisotropic (1) = hydrogen ions constrained
Fractional Anisotropy (0-1) degree of white matter integrity
What is the BOLD signal in T2 weighted imaging?
Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent Signal.
Which molecule can disrupt the MRI signal?
Deoxygenated haemoglobin - magnetic
What is Task Functional MRI?
T2 activity map while participant performs a task while in the scanner.
What are the major advantages of MRI?
- Detailed anatomical structure
- Detect pathology with anatomical precision
- Measure white matter integrity
- Ability to assess brain function and functional connectivity at rest and during tasks
- Doesn’t involve radiation, relatively safe and individuals can be repeatedly scanned.
What are the major disadvantages of MRI?
- Susceptibility to magnetic interference
- requires technical expertise to operate
- Diffusion and functional imaging are approximate but not a direct measure of white fibres integrity/functionality.