A01

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can detect oxygenated blood flow to parts of the brain which are more active. This is because active areas consume more oxygen, which is transported via blood. fMRI is able to produce 3D images of the brain areas associated with specific mental processes.
• Electroencephalogram (EEG) measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes attached to the scalp. EEGs are often used to diagnose arrhythmic patterns of activity, such as those with tumours or sleep disorders.
• Event-related potentials (ERP) is using an EEG to isolate a specific sensory, cognitive or motor event and measuring the neural response associated with that event. Researchers are able to remove all the extraneous brain activity from the original EEG reading, leaving only the recording of the specific stimulus or task.
• Post-mortem examination (PME) involves analysing the person’s brain after death. Typically this happens with individuals who have rare disorders and thus PME can establish the likely cause by examining the areas of damage with the brain and comparing this to a neurotypical brain.