studying the brain Flashcards
what is the main focus of neuroscience
studying the brain
what does studying the brain give an insight into
insight into fundamental behaviours and mental processes
how many methods are there to studying the brain
4
what are the main methods of studying the brain
- post mortem examinations
- fMRI
- EEG
- ERP
what does fMRI stand for
functional magnetic resonance imaging
what does EEG stand for
electroencephalogram
what does ERP stand for
event related potentials
what are post mortem examinations used for
used to establish underlying neurobiology of particular behaviour when person was living
using this way of studying the brain - establishing underlying neurobiology of particular behaviours when person was living - what type of method is this?
post mortem examination
what is an example of a post mortem examination in psychology
Broca’s area whereby Louis Victor Leborgne brain was used to identify that are relating to speed development
what has the post mortem examinations led to
identification of brain structures involved in memory (HM - hippocampus)
what does fMRI measure
measures changes in blood flow in areas of the brain
what do fMRI scans show
show the areas of brain which are active
what do changes in blood flow within brain indicate on fMRI
indicate neural activity
what does increased blood flow mean on fMRI
increased blood flow means active areas of the brain - increasing demand for oxygen
what are the coloured areas of the brain on an fMRI
the coloured areas on the scan highlight the areas which are currently being activated due to increase demand in oxygen - for example individual was asked to partake in problem solving activity then area of brain will light up
what does the fMRI scan look at
looking at the function of the brain
what do EEG’s do
measures electrical activity within the brain over long period of time
what is used to perform EEG
an EEG cap with electrodes on to detect any activity within brain
how is activity within brain detected through using EEG
the cap uses electrodes to detect small electrical charges which is due to activity of brain cells
Q
what data is produced from EEG
A
signals from the measurement is mapped over time - highlighting two areas including left and right side of the brain and eyeballs
what is EEG data used for
EEG data is used to detect or diagnose various brain disorders that influence brain activity
what is a disorder an EEG may be able to diagnose or detect
Alzheimers
there are 4 basic EEG patterns, name them
- alpha waves
- beta waves
- delta waves
- theta waves
what are the 4 EEG patterns
alpha waves, beta waves, delta waves and theta waves
when a person is awake what type of EEG pattern is recorded
when person is awake ALPHA waves are recorded
when person is physiologically aroused what EEG patterns can be found
low amplitude and fast frequency BETA waves can be found
when individual falls asleep what type of EEG patterns are found (what pattern decreases)
ALPHA weaves decrease and are replaced with lower frequency THETA waves and DELTA waves
in sleep what EEG pattern is found in REM sleep
BETA waves
what does REM sleep mean
stage were most dreams occur, individuals eyes move rapidly back and forth
what do ERPs measure
ERPs measure the electrical activity in brain in response to spcific events or stimuli
TRUE OR FALSE: ERPs are time stamped segments of EEGs relating to specific event
TRUE
ERPs can be divided in to how many categories
2
what are the 2 categories ERPs can be split into
- waves in first 100ms after presentation are ‘sensory’ ERPs reflecting on initial response
- waves after first 100ms are ‘cognitive’ ERPs that demonstrate processing of reflecting and evaluating
what are the strengths regarding post mortem examinations
- allows detailed examination which is not possible with other methods of studying brain
what are the limitations regarding post mortem examinations
- time and matter of death may impact findings on brain
- length of time between death and post mortem can impact
- retrospective because can only be done following individuals death
strengths regarding fMRI scanning
- non invasive and does not expose brain to harmful radiation (PET does)
- reliable and objective measure of processes
limitations of using fMRI to study brain
- no direct measure of neural activity because it measures blood flow
- argued that it overlooks networked nature of brain activity - focusing on localised activity
- doesnt measure communication - seen as critical brain function
strengths for using EEG as way of studying brain
- provides recording in real time - accurately measures activity or task and brain activity associated with it
- useful in clinical diagnosis - diagnose epilepsy as EEG will change due to disturbed brain activity
limitations of using EEG to study brain
- cannot reveal deeper regions without implanting electrodes
- can pick up neighbouring electrode activity - seen as unreliable
strengths of ERP when studying brain
- continuous measure of processing - determine how processing is affected by specific experimental manipulation
- able to measure processing of stimuli even in absence of behavioural response
limitations of using ERP to study the brain
- requires large number of trails to gain meaningful data
- only sufficiently strong voltage charges generated across scalp are recordable (missing out on deep activity which may be valuable) - restricted
ERPs are measured through using…
EEG cap
what is the difference between EEG and ERP
EEGs are continuous measure of electrical brain activity whereas ERPs are segments of EEG data which are time locked to specific events of interest
what does cortical specialisation mean
cortical specialisation means different areas of the brain responsible for different activities or behaviours
