Research Methods Flashcards
A patient is sometimes injected with radioactive 2-deoxyglucose before Select one: a. a CT scan. b. magnetic resonance imaging. c. a contrast X-ray. d. positron emission tomography. e. a sodium amytal test.
d. positron emission tomography.
Most cognitive neuroscientific research is based on the assumption that
Select one:
a. complex cognitive processes result from the combination of simple constituent cognitive processes.
b. each constituent cognitive process is mediated by activity in a particular area of the brain.
c. Almost all constituent cognitive processes tend to be localized in subcortical structures.
d. all of the above
e. both A and B
e. both A and B
Signal averaging is commonly used in the recording of ERPs because it reduces the magnitude of Select one: a. large signals. b. sensory evoked potentials. c. random signals. d. the P300. e. far-field potentials.
c. random signals
The Morris water maze is commonly used to study Select one: a. swimming in fish. b. spatial ability in rats. c. maze running in rats. d. passive avoidance in fish. e. swimming in rats.
b. spatial ability in rats.
The reason why radioactive 2-DG is useful for revealing the level of activity of neurons in different parts of the brain is that 2-DG
Select one:
a. is absorbed by neurons in relation to their level of activity.
b. is metabolized by neurons in relation to their level of activity.
c. is not metabolized by neurons.
d. both A and C
e. both A and B
d. both A and C
The signals recorded with electromyography (EMG, millivolts) are an order of magnitude larger in amplitude than the signals recorded with electroencephalography (EEG, microvolts) because:
Select one:
a. EEG signals derive from deep within the brain.
b. EMG electrodes are larger than EEG electrodes.
c. EMG directly measures the tension produced within muscle fibres
d. the skull acts as a large resistor.
e. none of the above, the magnitude of signals recorded with EMG and EEG are actually the same.
d. the skull acts as a large resistor.
Unlike brain-imaging techniques, TMS permits the study of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ between human cortical activity and cognition. Select one: a. links b. causal relations c. correlations d. neural connections e. communication
b. causal relations
When a patient arrives at the hospital with a suspected stroke, a computed tomography (CT) scan is taken. In what situation would the neurologist administer an antithrombotic drug to break down a clot?
Select one:
a. When there is bright signal on the CT scan indicating a haemorrhage.
b. When the CT scan is taken within 4 hours of the onset of the stroke.
c. When there is dark signal on the CT scan indicating a lack of oxygen getting to the neural tissue (ischemia)
d. CT scans have poor resolution and are uninformative.
e. When both B and C are true.
e. When both B and C are true.
Which of the following technique measures changes in magnetic fields on the surface of the brain? Select one: a. MRI b. fMRI c. MEG d. EMG e. EEG
c. MEG
What is the signal recorded by fMRI called?
BOLD signal
True or False:
fMRI has good temporal resolution but poor spatial resolution
False
It has good spatial resolution and poor temporal resolution
What is the technique that can be used to turn off an area of human cortex by creating a magnetic field called?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
What is the technique that can turn on an area of the cortex by applying a magnetic field called?
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
What are alpha waves?
Regular, 8- to 12-per-second, high amplitude EEG waves that typically occur during relaxed wakefulness and just before falling asleep
What is aspiration?
a lesion technique in which tissue is drawn off by suction through the fine tip of a glass pipette
What is autoradiography?
the technique of photographically developing brain slices that have been exposed to a radioactively labelled substance (such as 2-deoxyglucose) so that regions of high uptake are made visible
What is a behavioural paradigm?
a single set of procedures developed for the investigation of a particular behavioural phenomenon
What is a BOLD signal?
the blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal that is recorded by functional MRI (fMRI)
What is the bregma?
the point on the surface of the skull where two of the major sutures intersect; commonly used as a reference point in stereotaxic surgery on rodents
What is a cannula?
a fine, hollow tube that is implanted in the body for the purpose of introducing or extracting substances
What is cerebral angiography?
a contrast x-ray technique for visualizing the cerebral circulatory system by infusing a radio-opaque dye into a cerebral artery
What is cerebral dialysis?
a method for recording changes in brain chemistry in behaving animals in which a fine tube with a short semipermeable section is implanted in the brain and extracellular neurochemicals are continuously drawn off for analysis
What is cognitive neuroscience?
a division of biopsychology that focuses on the use of functional brain imaging to study the neural mechanisms of human cognition
What is the colony-intruder paradigm?
a paradigm for the study of aggressive and defensive behaviours in male rates; a small male intruder rat is placed in an established colony in order to study the aggressive responses of the colony’s alpha male and the defensive responses of the intruder
What is computed tomography (CT)?
a computer-assisted x-ray procedure that can be used to visualise the brain and other internal structures of the living body
What is conditioned taste aversion?
an avoidance response that develops to the taste of food whose consumption has been followed by illness
What is conditioned defensive burying?
the burial of a source of aversive stimulation by rats
What is constituent cognitive processes?
simple cognitive processes that combine to produce complex cognitive processes
What are contrast x-ray techniques?
x-ray techniques that involve the injection, into one compartment of the body, of a substance that absorbs x-rays either less than or more than surrounding tissues
What is a default mode?
the pattern of brain activity that is present when humans sit quietly and let their minds wander
What is a default mode network?
the network of brain structures that tends to be active when the brain is in default mode
What is a dichotic listening test?
a test of language lateralisation in which two different sequences of three spoken digits are presented simultaneously, one to each ear, and the subject is asked to report all the digits heard
What is diffusion tensor imaging?
a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that is used for identifying major tracts
What is digit span?
the longest sequence of random digits that can be repeated correctly 50 percent of the time - most people have a digit span of 7
What is an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)?
a recording of the electrical signals associated with heartbeats
What is electroencephalography?
a technique for recording the gross electrical activity of the brain through electrodes, which in humans are usually attached to the surface of the scalp
What is electromyography?
a procedure for measuring muscle tension
What is electrooculography?
a technique for recording eye movements through electrodes placed around the eye
What is an elevated plus maze?
an apparatus for recording defensiveness of anxiety in rats by assessing their tendency to avoid the two open arms of a plus sign-shaped maze mounted some distance above the floor
What are event-related potentials (ERPs)?
the EEG waves that regularly accompany certain psychological events
What are far-field potentials?
EEG signals recorded in attenuated form at the scalp because the originate far away - for example, in the brain stem
What is fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)?
a molecule that is similar to glucose, and is thus rapidly taken up by active cells. However, unlike glucose, fluorodeoxyglucose cannot be metabolised; it therefore accumulates in active cells until it is gradually broken down. A radioactive isotope of this molecule is commonly used in positron emission tomography (PET).
What is functional MRI (fMRI)?
a magnetic resonance imaging technique for inferring brain activity by measuring increased oxygen flow into particular areas
What are gene knockout techniques?
procedures for creating organisms that lack a particular gene
What are gene replacement techniques?
procedures for creating organisms in which a particular gene has been replaced with another
What is green fluorescent protein (GFP)?
a protein that is found in certain species of jellyfish and that fluoresces when exposed to blue light
What is hypertension?
chronically high blood pressure
What is immunocytochemistry?
a procedure for locating particular proteins in the brain by labelling their antibodies with a dye or radioactive element and then exposing slices of brain tissue to the labelled antibodies
What is in situ hybridisation?
a technique for locating particular proteins in the brain; molecules that bind to the mRNA that directs the synthesis of the target protein are synthesised and labelled, and brain slices are exposed to them
What are ligands?
a molecule that binds to another molecule; neurotransmitters are ligands of their receptors
What is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?
a structural brain imaging procedure in which high-resolution images are constructed from the measurement of waves that hydrogen atoms emit when they are activated by radio-frequency waves in a magnetic field
What is magnetoencephalography (MEG)?
a technique for measuring changes in magnetic fields on the surface of the scalp that are produced by changes in underlying patterns of neural activity
What is a mean difference image?
in the context of functional neuroimaging the average of the difference images (obtained by paired-image subtraction) obtained from multiple patients
What is a Morris water maze test?
a widely used test of spatial memory in which rats must learn to swim directly to a platform hidden just beneath the surface of a circular pool of murky water
What are neurotoxins?
neural poisons
What is a open-field test?
in this test an animal is placed in a large, barren chamber and it’s activity is recorded
What is operant conditioning paradigm?
a paradigm in which the rate of a particular voluntary response is increased by reinforcement or decreased punishment
What are opsins?
light-sensitive ion channels that are found in the cell membranes of certain bacteria and algae. When opsins are illuminated with light they open and allow ions to enter the cell
What is optogenetics?
a method that uses genetic engineering techniques to insert the opsin gene, or variants of the opsin gene, into particular types of neurons. By inserting an opsin gene into a particular type of neuron, a researcher can use light to hyperpolarize or depolarize those neurons
What is paired-image subtraction technique?
the use of PET or fMRI to locate constituent cognitive processes in the brain by producing an image of the difference in brain activity associated with two cognitive tasks that differ in terms of a single constituent cognitive process
What is the Pavlovian conditioning paradigm?
a paradigm in which the experimenter pairs an initially neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus) with a stimulus (unconditioned stimulus) that elicits a reflexive response (unconditioned response); after several pairings, the neutral stimulus elicits a conditioned response
What is plethysmography?
any technique for measuring change in the volume of blood in a part of the body
What is positron emission tomography (PET)?
a technique for visualizing brain activity, usually by measuring the accumulation of radioactive fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in active areas of the brain
What is a radial arm maze?
a maze in which several arms radiate out from a central starting chamber; commonly used to study spatial learning in rats
What are repetition priming tests?
tests of implicit memory; in one example, a list of words is presented, then fragments of the original words are presented and the subject is asked to complete them
What are reversible lesions?
methods for temporarily eliminating the activity in a particular are of the brain while tests are being conducted
What is the self-stimulation paradigm?
a paradigm in which animals press a lever to administer reinforcing electrical stimulation to particular sites in their own brain
What is a sensory evoked potential?
a change in the electrical activity of the brain (e.g. in the cortical EEG) that is elicited by the momentary presentation of a sensory stimulus
What is signal averaging?
a method of increasing the signal-to-noise ratio by reducing background noise
What is a skin conductance level (SCL)?
a measure of the background level of skin conductance associated with a particular situation
What is a skin conductance response (SCR)?
the transient change in skin conductance associated with discrete experiences
What is a sodium amytal test?
a test involving the anesthetization of first one cerebral hemisphere and then the other to determine which hemisphere plays the dominant role in language
What is spatial resolution?
ability of a recording technique to detect difference in spatial location (e.g. to pinpoint a location in the brain)
What is species-common behaviour?
behaviours that are displayed in the same manner by virtually all like members
What is a stereotaxic atlas?
a series of maps representing the three-dimensional structure of the brain that is used to determine coordinates for stereotaxic surgery
What is a stereotaxic instrument?
a device for performing stereotaxic surgery, composed of two parts: a head holder and an electrode holder
What is temporal resolution?
ability of a recording device to detect difference in time (i.e. to pinpoint when an event occurred)
What does thigmotaxic mean?
tending to stay near the walls of an open space such as a test chamber
What is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)?
a technique that can be used to stimulate an area of the cortex by applying an electrical current though two electrode placed directly on the scalp
What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?
a technique that can be used to stimulate or turn off an area of the cortex by creating a magnetic field under a coil positioned next to the skull
What is a transgenic mouse?
mice into which the genetic material of another species has been introduced
What is the Wechsler Adult Intellience Scale?
a widely used test of general intelligence that includes 11 subtests
What is the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test?
a neuropsychological test that evaluates a patient’s ability to remember that previously learned rules of behaviour are no longer effective and to learn to respond to new rules
