ways of studying the brain L8

• What are event-related potentials (ERPs)?

  ERPs are very small voltage changes triggered by specific stimuli.
• Why might a researcher look for abnormalities in a patient post-mortem?

  To investigate behavioral changes suspected to be caused by brain damage.
• Who observed patients' speech difficulties related to brain lesions?

  Brock
• When do sensory ERPs occur after a stimulus is presented?

  Sensory ERPs occur in the first 100 milliseconds after the stimulus.
• What do cognitive ERPs demonstrate?

  Cognitive ERPs are generated later and demonstrate information processing.
• What significant brain damage was confirmed in Henry Molaison's post-mortem examination?

  Damage to his hippocampus related to his inability to store new memories.
• Why are ERPs difficult to identify?

  ERPs are difficult to pick out from all the other electrical activity in the brain.
• What is required to establish a specific response to a target stimulus?

  Many presentations of the stimulus are needed, and the responses are averaged together.
• What happens to extraneous neural activity when averaging ERP responses?

  Extraneous neural activity that is not related to the specific stimulus will not occur consistently.
• What does fMRI stand for?

  Functional magnetic resonance imaging.
• What does fMRI measure?

  fMRI measures changes in blood oxygenation and flow, indicating increased neural activity.
• Why is fMRI considered a non-invasive way of scanning the brain?

  Because it does not expose patients to harmful radiation.
• How does fMRI provide a more objective measure of psychological processes?

  It offers a more reliable measure than verbal reports.
• What do electroencephalograms (EEGs) measure?

  EEGs measure electrical activity in the brain via electrodes placed on the scalp.
• What do EEGs show over time?

  EEGs show brainwaves and patterns of electrical activity in the brain.
• Why is EEG useful in clinical diagnosis?

  EEG is useful in diagnosing epilepsy as it shows spikes of electrical activity during seizures.
• What do Alzheimer's patients often show in EEG readings?

  Alzheimer's patients often show overall slowing of electrical activity.
• What is one strength of the EEG technique?

  EEG provides a recording of the brain's activity in real time.
• What are the four basic EEG patterns?

  The four basic EEG patterns are alpha waves, beta waves, delta waves, and theta waves.
• What type of brain activity is recorded when a person is awake but relaxed?

  Rhythmical alpha waves are recorded.
• What limitation does EEG have regarding brain region activity?

  EEG can only detect activity in superficial brain regions.
• Which deeper brain regions cannot be revealed by EEG?

  EEG cannot reveal activity in deeper regions such as the hypothalamus or hippocampus.
• fMRI

  
  
• 
  

  Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. A type of neuroimaging technique.
• 
  

  The amount of oxygen in the blood.
• Blood Flow


  
  
• Blood Oxygenation


  
  
• Neural Activity