Ways of Studying the Brain* Flashcards
What does fMRI stand for?
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
How does an fMRI work?
Measures blood flow in the brain.
What is the spatial resolution of an fMRI scan?
1-2mm
What does a concentration of blood signify in an fMRI scan?
That area of the brain is active.
What is the temporal resolution of an fMRI scan?
1-4 seconds.
What does EEG stand for?
Electroencephalogram.
How does an EEG work?
Electrodes are placed on the top of the scalp, they detect the neural activity on the outer layers of brain tissue.
What does ERP stand for?
Event-related potentials.
How does an ERP work?
Vey similar to an EEG. The difference being that during an ERP, the pp will be given a stimulus.
Do ERPs have a short or long latency period?
Short latency.
Define post-mortem examination.
Dissecting the brain of a deceased person who exhibited a particular characteristic when living.
Give an example of the use of post-mortem.
Iverson used post-mortem and found that schizophrenic patients had a higher concentration of dopamine in the limbic system.
Give an advantage of fMRI.
- High spatial resolution - 1-2mm - determines the activity of certain areas with greater accuracy.
- fMRI is not an invasive technique - no requirement to take radioactive substances beforehand.
Give a disadvantage of fMRI.
- High temporal resolution - causation cannot be placed upon that task resulting in activity due to the time difference of 4 seconds in some cases.
- Not a measure of neural activity - the true determent of activity.
Give an advantage and disadvantage of EEGs
Advantage:
- High temporal resolution
- Useful for diagnosing certain disorders such as epilepsy - high practical validity.
Disadvantage:
- Only measures outer brain tissues.
- Cannot identify the source of activity.
