Ways of studying the brain

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of fMRI?

  Advantages:

  • Virtually risk-free
  • No use of radiation
  • Non-invasive
  • High spatial resolution

  
  

  Disadvantages:

  • Expensive
  • Requires stillness
  • Poor temporal resolution
  • Cannot identify individual neuron action
• What does fMRI measure in the brain?

  Changes in blood oxygenation and flow
• What is the hemodynamic response in fMRI?

  More blood travels to active brain areas
• What type of images does fMRI produce?

  3D images (activation maps)
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of EEG?

  Advantages:

  • Virtually risk-free
  • No use of radiation
  • Non-invasive
  • Useful for diagnosing epilepsy

  
  

  Disadvantages:

  • Cannot pinpoint brain wave sources
  • Low spatial resolution
• What does an EEG measure?

  Electrical activity using electrodes
• What are brainwave patterns in EEG used for?

  To diagnose sleep disorders, tumors, epilepsy
• What are the characteristics of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)?

  • Derived from EEG
  • Measures brain responses to specific events
  • High temporal resolution
  • Low spatial resolution
• How are ERPs obtained?

  By averaging EEG data during tasks
• What do sensory/exogenous ERPs represent?

  Early responses to tasks
• What do cognitive/endogenous ERPs represent?

  Later responses after task processing
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of post-mortem examinations?

  Strengths:

  • Vital for early brain research
  • Provides insights into brain-behavior relationships

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Issues with causation
  • Patients may not consent before death
• What is the purpose of post-mortem examinations?

  To explore brain structure and pathology
• What is temporal resolution?

  Accuracy in measuring brain activity changes over time
• What is spatial resolution?

  Ability to distinguish different brain areas
• What does fMRI stand for?

  Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• What does EEG stand for?

  Electroencephalogram
• What does ERP stand for?

  Event-Related Potential
• What is the significance of studying brain imaging techniques?

  To understand brain function and disorders
• What are the key points to evaluate EEGs as a method of studying the brain?

  • Safe and non-invasive
  • Identifies activity in various brain regions
  • Useful for diagnosing epilepsy
  • Lacks precision in measuring individual neuron activity
• What is the link between post-mortem examinations and brain disorders?

  They provide insights into brain-behavior relationships
• What is the main limitation of post-mortem examinations?

  Issues with causation of observed damage
• Which brain imaging technique has the highest temporal resolution?

  EEG
• Which brain imaging technique has the highest spatial resolution?

  fMRI
• How do fMRI and ERP differ in terms of temporal resolution?

  fMRI has poor temporal resolution, ERP has high
• How do fMRI and ERP differ in terms of spatial resolution?

  fMRI has high spatial resolution, ERP has low
• What is a key similarity between fMRI and ERP?

  Both are non-invasive and risk-free
• What is a key difference between fMRI and ERP?

  fMRI measures blood flow, ERP measures electrical activity
• Which method would most accurately identify specific brain areas activated during a cognitive task?

  Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
• What is the link between temporal resolution and brain imaging techniques?

  It measures how quickly brain activity changes
• What is the link between spatial resolution and brain imaging techniques?

  It distinguishes between different brain areas
• What is a post-mortem examination?

  Examination of the brain after death
• What does the term "post" in post-mortem mean?

  After
• What does the term "mortem" in post-mortem mean?

  Death
• How does studying behavior help in post-mortem examinations?

  Identifies abnormal behavior linked to brain damage
• What is the second step in post-mortem research?

  Study the brain after death for abnormalities
• What is the third step in post-mortem research?

  Form a correlation between behavior and brain damage
• Who conducted a famous post-mortem examination on patient Tan?

  Paul Broca
• What did Broca discover about patient Tan's brain?

  Large lesion in the left frontal lobe
• What is a strength of post-mortem examinations?

  Gather detailed information about brain structure