ways of studying the brain

• outline post - mortem examination

  • involves a structural examination of an individual's brain after death
  • Their brain is compared to a typical brain to assess whether there is any damage
  • P. M are therefore typically conducted on an individuals ' brain when they showed abnormal behaviour in their lifetime
  • This is because any damage to their brain is suggested to be a Cause for their abnormal behaviour
• outline - Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI)

  • uses a large magnetic feild and radiofregency waves to create a ID image of the brain
  • It also indirectly measures brain activity by measuring blood flow in the brain ( because the firing of reasons requires energy which is provided by oxygen and blood )
  • This means that if brain area consistently recieves more blood flooo/oxygenated blood during a task, it indicated as highly active on the 3Dimage and is assumed to be responsible for that task
  • cused to asses both structural and functionof the brain
• EEG


  • Involves placing electrodes on the scalp .
  • These electrodes directly measure brain activity by detecting the fireing of neurons in thecortex.
  • the electrical signeds coused by the fireingoof neurons are graphed overtime to shoco the level of brain activity and whetherer it is rhythmic or not
  • This is there measure general brain activity such as that associated with sleep or arousal
• outline ERPs


  • Electrodes are placed on the scalp to measure cortical electrical activity in the brain in response to an event (e.g. the presentation of a stimulus).
  • It is therefore a direct measure of neuronal activity.
  • Because ERPs are only interested in brain activity associated with a specific event, a stimulus is presented for approximately 100 trials and a statistical averaging technique is used to remove all extraneous brain activity.
  • This means that only the brain activity in response to the presentation of a stimulus/task remains.
• There are 4 main ways to evaluate ways of studying the brain. These include ...

  • Temporal resolution (how accurate the scanning technique is in detecting the timing of neuronal activity). • Spatial resolution (how accurate the scanning technique is in detecting the location of neuronal activity). • Ability to establish cause and effect • Practical applications and/or limitations
• Explain C and E within post-mortem examinations

  • difficult to establish cause and effect between structural brain abnormalities found after death and abnormal behaviour displayed in the person’s lifetime.
  • This is because many confounding variables can affect the analysis such as the length of time between death and the examination (decay).
  • This is a limitation because it may mean the structural damage found could be unrelated to the abnormal behaviour the patient displayed.
  • This therefore would question the validity of the conclusions drawn
• evaluate post-mortem examinations


  ✅️ they have shed light into localisation and lateralisation of brain function

  ❌️they suffer from small samples due to informed consent being required
• Evaluate FMRI's


  ❌️ low temporal resolution (5 second delay)

  ✅️ high special resolution (produces a 3D image)

  ❌️ difficult to establish c+e

  ✅️ practical limitations, patients must stay still for a clear image
• Evaluate EEGs and ERPs


  ✅️ high temporal resolution (direct measure of rearon activity )

  ❌️ poor spacial resolution (only detects cortical activity)

  ❌️ difficult to establish E+C between presentation of a stimulus and neutral firing

  ✅️ numerous practical applications (detect epilepsy )