Ways of studying the brain

Question 1

What are the four ways of studying the brain?

Answer 1

• Event related potentials (ERPs)
• Electroencephalogram (EEG)
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
• Post mortem

Question 2

What is an ERP?

Answer 2

• Event related potential
• very small voltage changes in the brain triggered by specific events or stimuli
• stimuli is presented many times to take lots of readings
• averages to measure small voltage changes
• extraneous activity will not occur consistently so repeating readings cancels out background noise

Question 3

What are the two categories of ERP readings?

Answer 3

• within first 100 milliseconds after stimulus is presented = sensory ERP, reflects initial response to physical characteristics
• after first 100 milliseconds = cognitive ERP, way that the subject evaluates stimuli, demonstrates information processing

Question 4

Describe port mortem brain studies.

Answer 4

• used to establish underlying neurobiology of specific behaviours
• used to find links between brain abnormalities and psychiatric disorders eg. reduced number of glial cells in prefrontal cortex of people with depression
• Broca (1965) Tan-problems with speech because of lesions in broca’s area

Question 5

What is an fMRI?

Answer 5

• functional magnetic resonance imaging
• measures brain activity while completing a task
• detects changes in blood oxygenation and flow that indicate increased neural activity
• produces maps that show which parts of the brain are active during different activities

Question 6

What is an EEG?

Answer 6

• electroencephalogram
• measures electrical activity in the brain
• electrodes on the scalp detect small electrical charges

Question 7

What are the four EEG patterns?

Answer 7

• awake and relaxed = rhythmical alpha
• awake and aroused = low amplitude, fast frequency beta
• asleep = theta
• deep sleep = delta