Ways of Investigating the Brain Flashcards
What two techniques are used for observing activities of the brain?
- Non-invasive
- Invasive
Define non-invasive:
Do not involve breaking the skin with an electrode, surgery
Define invasive:
Where the skin is broken
What are the four ways of investigating the brain?
- Functional Magnetic —-Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
- Electroencephalpgram (EEG)
- Event-related Potentials (ERPs)
- Post-mortem examinations
Describe functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI):
- Detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occurs as result of neural activity
- Produces 3D images
Advantage of fMRI:
- No radiation
- Virtually risk-free
- Non-invasive
- High spatial resolution
Weakness of fMRI:
- Expensive
- Only clear images if person perfectly still
- Low temporal resolution (5s lag-time)
- Only measure blood flow not individual neurons so no precise location of brain activity
Describe electroencephalogram (EEG):
-Measures and records the electrical activity of your brain
Strengths of EEG:
- Diagnosis of conditions i.e epilepsy
- Deeper understanding of sleep stages
- High temporal resolution
- Non-invasive
Limitations of EEG:
- Low spatial resolution
- Generalising of neural activity
Describe event-related potentials (ERP):
-Measurement of your brain activity during sensory, cognitive, or motor event which have been isolated
Strengths of ERP:
- More specific so higher temporal resolution
- Practical application of measuring cognitive functions
- Non-invasive
Weakness of EPR:
- Lack of standardisation
- Background noise and extraneous materials must be eliminated
Describe post-mortem examination:
- Analysis of death person
- On those with rare disorders or experience unusual deficits in mental process
Strengths of post-mortems:
- Vital in foundation of understanding
- Broca and Wernicke relied on PM
- Improved medical knowledge
