Research Methods

• EEG stands for Electroencephalogram, which is a recording of the electrical activity of the brain
• ERP stands for Event-Related Potential, which is measured using EEG equipment
• ERP is the neural activity related to a brief mental process
• In an EEG, the variation in voltage over time gives us frequency
• In an EEG, the pattern of frequency corresponds with the state of the individual
• EEGs have a high temporal resolution, but low spatial resolution.
• PET scan stands for Positron Emission Tomography
• In a PET scan, a synthetic radiotracer is injected into the patient, which reacts with tissue in the brain, producing a signal that can be measured with specialized equipment
• The 2 general purposes of PET scans for neuroscience are measuring metabolic activity and characterising the distribution of specific substances
• A PET scan has decent spatial resolution and poor temporal resolution
• MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging and is used for grey matter. DTI stands for diffusion tensor imaging and is used for white matter.
• MRIs have fantastic spatial resolution, but cannot be used diagnostically due to the reverse inference error
• An fMRI is an indirect measure of neural activity, as it measures changes in blood oxygenation
• Single-cell recordings are highly invasive and are rarely used in humans
• IHC stands for Immunohistochemistry, which is a technique used to identify the presence of specific proteins in a tissue sample
• TMS stands for transcranial magnetic stimulation and is often used for treatment of depression
• DBS (deep-brain stimulation) is a surgical procedure and mostly used for treatment of Parkinson's
• TMS and TDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) are most used in research
• A way to study electrical and physiological properties of neurons in animals is called Electrophysiological recordings. This is how place cells were identified.
• Targeted manipulation studies involves exciting, inhibiting, or destroying specific brain regions in animals using a stereotaxic guide
• Targeted manipulation can be done by lesioning the region, through pharmacological treatment, or through electrical stimulation
• A transgenic animal has a genome that has been modified
• Applications of transgenic models are: removing a gene (knock-out), adding a gene (knock-in), restricting gene modification to specific cells (selective/conditional), or restricting modifications to a specific time (inducible)
• The Elevated Plus Maze tests for anxiety in mice by measuring time spent in each arm. Avoidance of open arms is an indication of anxiety.