Research Methods in Biopsychology

Question 1

Sterotaxic atlas

Answer 1

provides coordinated for locating structures in the brain in 3D

Question 2

Bregma

Answer 2

a point on the top of the skull often used as a reference point

Question 3

Sterotaxic instrument

Answer 3

used to hold head steady and guide the device to be inserted

Question 4

What are reversible lesions

Answer 4

they are cuts that temporarily eliminate the activity in an area of the brain

Question 5

Amplification of behaviour vs inhibition of behaviour

Answer 5

electrical stimulation vs lesioning

Question 6

Aspiration lesions

Answer 6

tissue drawn off by suctioning
-white matter is more resistant to suction so cortical tissue can be removed and leave white matter and vessels undamaged

Question 7

intracellular unit recording

Answer 7

membrane potential of a neuron

Question 8

extracellular unit recording

Answer 8

firing of one neuron

Question 9

multiple unit firing

Answer 9

firing of many neurons

Question 10

cannula

Answer 10

used to administer drugs to brain as it allows them to pass across blood brain barrier

Question 11

cerebral angiogram

Answer 11

• dye injected into cerebral arteries
• examines vasculature (stroke/aneurism)
• structures with dye are highly contrasted to surrounding tissue
• can indicate location of tumor due to displacement of blood

Question 12

how does an MRI work

Answer 12

• hydrogen atoms align under the magnetic field

- quantify density and concentration of hydrogen (different structures have different amounts of H2O)

Question 13

Diffusion tensor imaging

Answer 13

• maps tracks of white matter
• captures movement of water molecules since myelin is hydrophobic
• MS due to demyelination

Question 14

Single test

Answer 14

• used to differentiate brain damage from functional causes (psychological) rather than structural
• unsuccessful since one test can not be sensitive to all psychological symptoms

Question 15

Standardized test battery

Answer 15

• same as single test but a set of tests

- not good at discriminating between neurological patients and psychiatric patients

Question 16

Customized test battery

Answer 16

• goal is to characterize the nature of the deficits seen in patients with brain damage
• begins with a general test and then more specific tests
• interpretation of test results doesn’t lie solely on patient performance

Question 17

WAIS

Answer 17

• IQ test
• often fails to detect memory deficits
• low scores of verbal comprehension= L hemisphere damage

Question 18

Token test

Answer 18

-can detect language deficits

Question 19

Language lateralization

Answer 19

• used to determine language dominant hemisphere
• sodium amytal: anesthetize one hemisphere then test language and vice versa
• dichotic listening: ear contralateral to dominant hemisphere shows superior hearing

Question 20

Why is TMS different than other techniques?

Answer 20

• it can draw causal inferences
• magnetic field is focused to temporarily disrupt neuronal functioning
• ablation (turn off) and stimulate (turn on) regions of the cortex