studying the brain

• POST-MORTEM

  after a person dies, their brain can be studied to look for abnormalities that can explain behaviour, and are not present in neurotypical individuals
• A03 - post mortem

  + excellent empirical evidence- allows deeper parts of the brain to be studied such as the hippocampus which would otherwise be extremely difficult to study. For example Brocas patient tan suffered with speech issues when he was alive; underwent a post mortem and found lesions in his 'brocas area' which is responsible for speech production

  -ethical issues- hard to gain informed consent before a person dies/if they are vulnerable. HM suffered LTM damage, so wouldn't have been able to remember signing legal document
• FMRI scan

  relies on haemodynamic response, and measures brain activity while a person performs tasks using radio waves and a magnetic field. Areas of the brain that are more active need more oxygen. this means there is likely to be higher blood flow at more active areas of the brain. this allows researchers to produce maps showing which areas of the brain are involved in particular activities
• A03 fmri

  + FMRI scans don't expose the brain to any harmful ionising radiation unlike other techniques ( PET scans ) therefore meaning there are no long term health issues associated with them - safe method

  -uses an indirect measure, through measuring blood flow. this therefore means results may be invalid or less accurate as fmri's are not in depth compared to other ways ( post mortem )
• EEG SCANS

  measure electrical activity in the brain

  electrodes are placed on the scalp which detect small electrical charges resulting from activity of brain cells. this allows researchers to produce EEG graphs. EEG data can then be used to detect various brain disorders such as epilepsy, or conditions that influence brain activity such as Alzheimers.
• A03 - EEG

  +cheap and effective methods meaning they can be more widely used to detect brain disorders which can help them find appropriate treatment and increase QOL

  -only measures superficial areas of the brain, not deeper parts such as the hippocampus meaning there may be more issues which cannot be detected
• ERP'S

  takes raw EEG data and uses it to investigate cognitive processes of a specific event. to do this, it filters out all data unrelated to the event, only leaving related data. this then means electrodes can be placed on scalp to detect specific neuronal activity
• A03- erp's

  + cheap so can be used more widely and effectively

  -cannot detect deeper parts of the brain, mainly the neocortex - limits its application