ways of studying the brain Flashcards
post - mortem
physycal examination of the brain after death
fMRI
measures changes in blood flow
indicating increased neural activity
EEG
measuring electical activity of the brain through placing** electrodes** on the scalp
ERPs
(even-related-potential)
small voltage changes triggered by stimuli
sensory ERPs
they occur in the first 100 ms
cognitive ERPs
occur later
what EEG shows
shows the brain activity over time
used to diagnose such disorder as epilepsy
strength of EEG
+shows brain activity in real time
+monitors responces to tasks
+useful for clinical diagnosis as epilepsy and seizures
weakness of EEG
-shows activity only in the supervised areas
-will not show activity in areas like Hippocumpus
-bad at pin-pointing as records activity from overlaping areas
strength of ERPs
+measures subconscious response
+covertly monitors
+establishes cause and effectwhich helps to understand brain`s reaction
weakness of ERPs
-require many repetition
-record voltage changes from the surface areas
what fMRI does
indicates what areas of the brain take part in certain cognitive tasks
strength of fMRI
+not invasive
+more objective than reports
weakness of fMRI
-measures consequences of neural activity not their cause = leads to misinterpreted findings
-shows only the place where neurons are firing and not the place where the signal comes from
strength of Post-Mortem
+detailed examination of abnormalities
+changes in neurotransmitters levels can be measured
