Ways of studying the brain Flashcards
1
Q
What is an fMRI?
A
- functional magnetic resonance imaging, measures brain activity while performing a task, detects radio waves from changing magnetic fields, enables researchers to detect which regions of the brain are rich in oxygen/active
2
Q
What is an EEG?
A
- Electroencephalogram, records tiny electrical impulses produced by brain’s activity, by measuring characteristic wave patterns, can help diagnose certain conditions of the brain
3
Q
What are ERP’s?
A
- Event-related potentials, electrophysiological response of brain to sensory, cognitive or motor event isolated through statistical analysis of EEG data
4
Q
What is a post mortem examination?
A
- brain is analysed after death to determine whether observed behaviours in a persons life can be linked to structural abnormalities in the brain
5
Q
What is a strength and a weakness of fMRI’s?
A
- Strength: does not rely on use of radiation, risk-free, non-invasive and straightforward to use, provides images with high-spatial resolution, depicting detail by the mm
- Limitation: Expensive, poor temporal resolution (5 second time lag)
6
Q
What is a strength and a weakness of EEG?
A
- Strength: useful in studying stages of sleep and in diagnosing epilepsy, high temporal resolution
- Limitation: generalised nature of information received, cannot pinpoint exact source of neural activity, cannot distinguish between activities originating in different but adjacent locations