Week 1: Research Methods

Question 1

involve injecting into one compartment of the body a substance that absorbs x-rays either less than or more than the surrounding tissue

Answer 1

Contrast X-Rays techniques

Question 2

uses the infusion of a radio-opaque dye into a cerebral artery to visualize the cerebral circulatory system during x-ray photography

Answer 2

Cerebral Angiography

Question 3

is a computer-assisted x-ray procedure that can be used to visualize the brain and other internal structures of the living body.

Answer 3

Computed Tomography

Question 4

First brain-imaging technique to provide images of brain activity rather than images of brain structure
Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) - injected into the carotid artery.

Answer 4

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Question 5

structural brain-imaging procedure in which high-resolution images are constructed from the measurement of radio-frequency waves that hydrogen atoms emit as they align with a powerful magnetic field.

Answer 5

MRI

Question 6

Produces images representing the increase in oxygen flow in the blood to active areas of the brain

Answer 6

fMRI

Question 7

The blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal

Answer 7

BOLD signal

Question 8

is a method of identifying those pathways along which water molecules rapidly diffuse

Answer 8

Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Question 9

1) Contrast X-Rays techniques - involve injecting into one compartment of the body a substance that absorbs x-rays either less than or more than the surrounding tissue
2) Cerebral Angiography - uses the infusion of a radio-opagque dye into a cerebral artery to visualize the cerebral circulatory system during x-ray photography
3) Computed Tomography - is a computer-assisted x-ray procedure that can be used to visualize the brain and other internal structures of the living body.

Answer 9

X-Rays based techniques

Question 10

1) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) - first brain-imaging technique to provide images of brain activity rather than images of brain structure
2) Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) - injected into the carotid artery.

Answer 10

Radioactivity-Based Techniques

Question 11

is a technique that can be used to turn off an area of human cortex by creating a magnetic field under a coil positioned next to the skull

Answer 11

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Question 12

is a technique that can be used to stimulate an area of the cortex by applying an electrical current through two electrodes placed directly on the scalp

Answer 12

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Question 13

is a measure of the gross electrical activity of the brain.

Answer 13

Scalp Electroencephalography (EEG)

Question 14

measures changes in magnetic fields on the surface of the scalp that are produced by changes in underlying patterns of neural activity

Answer 14

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Question 15

Muscle Tension - Each skeletal muscle is composed of millions of threadlike muscle fibers. Each muscle fiber contracts in an all-or-none fashion when activated by the motor neuron that innervates it. At any given time, a few fibers in each resting muscle are likely to be contracting, thus maintaining the overall tone (tension) of the muscle. Movement results when a large number of fibers contract at the same time
Electromyography - is the usual procedure for measuring muscle tension. The resulting record is called an electromyogram (EMG)
EYE MOVEMENT. The electrophysiological technique for recording eye movements is called electrooculography, and the resulting record is called an electrooculogram (EOG)

Answer 15

Psychophysiological Measure

Question 16

effects are deceptively difficult to interpret. Because the structures of the brain are small, convoluted, and tightly packed together, even a highly skilled surgeon cannot completely destroy a structure without producing significant damage to adjacent structures

Answer 16

Lesion

Question 17

are methods for temporarily eliminating the activity in a particular area of the brain while tests are being conducted.

Answer 17

Reversible lesions

Question 18

Sectioning (cutting) is used to eliminate conduction in a nerve or tract. A tiny, well-placed cut can unambiguously accomplish this task without producing extensive damage to surrounding tissue.

Answer 18

KNIFE CUTS

Question 19

Small subcortical lesions are commonly made by

Answer 19

RADIO-FREQUENCY LESIONS

Question 20

When a lesion is to be made in an area of cortical tissue that is accessible to the eyes and instruments of the surgeon.

Answer 20

ASPIRATION LESIONS

Question 21

This technique takes advantage of the fact that all peptides and proteins are transcribed from sequences of nucleotide bases on strands of messenger RNA

Answer 21

situ hybridization

Question 22

Gene Knockout and Gene Replacement Techniques
Gene knockout techniques are procedures for creating organisms that lack a particular gene under investigation
Gene replacement techniques have created interesting possibilities for research and therapy. Pathological genes from human cells can be inserted in other animals such as mice—mice that contain the genetic material of another species are called transgenic mice

Answer 22

Genetic Engineering

Question 23

have created interesting possibilities for research and therapy. Pathological genes from human cells can be inserted in other animals such as mice—mice that contain the genetic material of another species are called transgenic mice

Answer 23

Gene replacement techniques

Question 24

are procedures for creating organisms that lack a particular gene under investigation

Answer 24

Gene knockout techniques

Question 25

is a protein that exhibits bright green fluorescence when exposed to blue light

Answer 25

Green fluorescent protein (GFP)

Question 26

are light-sensitive ion channels that are found in the cell membranes of certain bacteria and algae

Answer 26

Opsins

Question 27

neuroscientists started to use genetic engineering techniques to insert the opsin gene, or variants of the opsin gene, into particular types of neurons. In effect, by inserting an opsin gene into a particular type of neuron, a neuroscientist could use light to hyperpolarize or depolarize neurons.

Answer 27

Optogenetics