what are the ways to investigate the brain Flashcards
what does fMRI stand for
functional magnetic resonance imaging
how do fMRIs work
fMRI works by detecting the changes in blood oxygenated and flow that occur as a result of neural brain activity in specific parts of the brain
when a brain area is more active it consumes more oxygen and to meet this demand, blood flow is directed to the active area
what do fMRIs produce
fMRI produces 3D images (activation maps) showing which parts of the brain are involved in a particular mental process are these important implications for our understanding of localisation of function
what does EEG stand for
electroencephalogram
what is an EEG
EEGs measure electrical activity within the brain via electrodes that are fixed to an individuals scalp using a skull cap
the scan recoding represents the brainwave patterns that are generated from the action of millions of neutrons providing an overall account of brain activity
who are EEGs used by
EEGs is often used by clinicians as a diagnostic tool
unusual arrhythmic patterns of activity (i.e. no particular patterns) may indicate neurological abnormalities e.g. epilepsy tumours sleeping disorder
what is post - mortem examination
a technique involving a person’s brian following their death
how does a post- mortem work
psychological research, individuals whose brains are subject to a post mortem are likely to be those who have a rare disorder and have experienced unusual deficits in mental processes or behaviour during their lifetime
areas of damage within the brain are examined after death as a means of establishing this cause of the affliction on the person suffered
This may also involve comparison with a neurotypical brain in order to ascertain the extent of the difference
does ERP stand for
it is an event-related potential
what is a ERP
although EEG has much scientific and clinical application, in its raw form it is a crude and overly general measure of brain activity
However within EEG data are contained all the neural responses associated with specific sensory, cognitive, and motor events that may be of interest to cognitive neuroscientists
how does an ERP work
researchers have developed a way of teasing out and isolating these responses. Using a statistical averaging technique, all extraneous brain activity from the original EEG recording is filtered out leaving only those responses that relate to say, the presentation of a specific stimulus or performance of a specific task
What remains are event-related potentials types of brainwave that are triggered by particular events
Research has revealed many different forms of ERP and give e.g. these linked cognitive processes like attention and perception
