Ways of Studying the Brain

• fMRI


  Measures brain activity in specific areas by detecting associated changes in blood flow.

  
• EEG


  A record of the brain wave patterns produced by millions of neurons, producing characteristic patterns.

  
• ERPs


  Isolating specific responses of neurons to specific stimuli or tasks.

  
• Post mortem examinations


  Correlating behaviours before death with brain structures after death.
• What is a Post-Mortem Examination?


  - Way of examining brain after one's passing to establish neurological cause for psychological abnormalities
• What is Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)?


  - Technique for measuring brain activity by detecting blood flow (increased oxygenation) indicating increased neural activity
• What is Electroencephalogram (EEG)?


  - Records changes in electrical activity of brain using electrodes attached to scalp

  - Electrical signals from diff electrodes graphed over time
• What are Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)?


  - Technique that takes raw EEG data and uses it to investigate cognitive processing of a specific event

  - Very small voltage changes triggered by certain events/stimuli detected