Cognitive neuroscience

• What is cognitive neuroscience?

  The scientific study of the influence of brain structures on mental processes. The use of scanning techniques and the study of 'neurotypical' individuals to locate the physical basis of cognitive processes in the brain.
• What is EEG?


  EEG is a scanning technique. It measures electrical activity in the brain through electrodes attached to the scalp. Small electrical charges are detected and graphed over a period of time, indicating the level of activity in the brain.
• What are the benefits of an EEG?

  • A non-invasive technique
  • Cheaper than fMRI scanning
  • More readily available for patients to undertake
  • Good temporal resolution - can record brains activities in real time
• What are the disadvantages of an EEG?

  • Poor spatial resolution - unable to provide information on what is happening in deeper regions of the brain
  • Electrical activity often detected in several regions of brain simultaneously - can be hard to pinpoint the exact area/region of activity
• What is ERP?

  Use similar equipment to an EEG. Electrodes are attached to the scalp to detect brain activity, but key difference is that a stimulus is presented to a participant and the researcher looks for activity related to the stimulus.
• What are the benefits of an ERP?

  • A non-invasive technique
  • Cheaper than fMRI scanning
  • More readily available for patients to undertake
  • Good temporal resolution - can record brain's activities in real time
  • Enable determination of how processing is affected by a specific experimental manipulation
• What is fMRI?


  A brain scanning technique that measures blood flow in the brain when a person performs a task.
• What are the benefits of fMRI?

  • Can create a dynamic 3D map of the brain
  • A non-invasive technique
  • Safe which allows more patients to undertake it
  • Good spatial resolution - can discriminate between different brain regions with greater accuracy
• What is a disadvantage of an ERP?

  • Poor spatial resolution - unable to provide information on what is happening in deeper regions of the brain
• What are the disadvantages of fMRI?

  • Poor temporal resolution - can't detect changes in brain activity as quickly as other scanning techniques
  • Causation - they don't provide a direct measure of neural activity as they measure blood flow
• What is post-mortem examination?


  Where researchers study the physical brain of a person who displayed a particular behaviour while they were alive that suggested possible brain damage.
• What is a benefit of a post-mortem examination?

  • Provide a detailed examination of the anatomical structure and neurochemical aspects of the brain which isn't possible with other scanning techniques
• What are the disadvantages of a post-mortem examination?

  • Causation - deficits found in brain could have linked to other illnesses/problems
  • Many extraneous variables that can affect the results/conclusions of post-mortem examinations
  • Ethical issues - whether or not the person would have consented to a post-mortem examination
• How do cognitive neuroscientists study brain damage of living patients?

  Brain injuries can be mapped using brain imaging techniques. Patients are asked to undergo cognitive tests (e.g. a memory test) whilst scanning is taking place so the brain can be seen in action. The patterns of activity shown in the scan are compared with activity of a normal, intact brain. These are used to make inferences about how cognitive processes usually function.