Ways of Investigating the Brain
KEY TERMS:
● FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (fMRI) - a method used to measure
brain activity while a person is performing a task that uses MRI technology (detecting radio
waves from changing magnetic fields). Enables researchers to detect which regions of the
brain are rich in oxygen and thus are active
● ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM - record of the tiny electrical impulses produced by the
brain’s activity. By measuring characteristics wave patterns, EEG can help diagnose certain
conditions of the brain
● EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS (ERPs) - the brain’s electrophysiological response to a
specific sensory, cognitive or motor event can be isolated through statistical analysis of EEG
data
● POST - MORTEM EXAMINATIONS - brain’s analysed after death o determine whether
certain observed behaviour during the patient’s lifetime can be linked to abnormalities in the
brain
SCANNING AND OTHER TECHNIQUES :
● FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (fMRI) -
➔ fMRI work by detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occur as a
result of neural (brain) activity in specific parts of the brain
➔ More active area of the brain consumes more oxygen and to meet this increased
demand, blood flow is directed to the active area ( haemodynamic response )
➔ fMRIs produce 3D images (activation maps)
➔ Shows which part of the brain are involved in a particular mental process and this
has important implications for our understanding of localisation of function
● ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAMS -
➔ EEGs measure electrical activity within the brain via electrodes which are fixed to an
individual’s scalp using skull cap
➔ Scan recording represents the brainwave patterns that’re generated from the action
of millions of neurons
➔ Provides an overall account of brain activity
➔ EEG is often used by clinicians as a diagnostic tool as unusual arrhythmic patterns of
activity
➔ Arrhythmic patterns means no particular rhythm
➔ May indicate neurological abnormalities such as epilepsy, tumours or disorders of
sleep
KEY TERMS:
● FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (fMRI) - a method used to measure
brain activity while a person is performing a task that uses MRI technology (detecting radio
waves from changing magnetic fields). Enables researchers to detect which regions of the
brain are rich in oxygen and thus are active
● ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM - record of the tiny electrical impulses produced by the
brain’s activity. By measuring characteristics wave patterns, EEG can help diagnose certain
conditions of the brain
● EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS (ERPs) - the brain’s electrophysiological response to a
specific sensory, cognitive or motor event can be isolated through statistical analysis of EEG
data
● POST - MORTEM EXAMINATIONS - brain’s analysed after death o determine whether
certain observed behaviour during the patient’s lifetime can be linked to abnormalities in the
brain
SCANNING AND OTHER TECHNIQUES :
● FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (fMRI) -
➔ fMRI work by detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occur as a
result of neural (brain) activity in specific parts of the brain
➔ More active area of the brain consumes more oxygen and to meet this increased
demand, blood flow is directed to the active area ( haemodynamic response )
➔ fMRIs produce 3D images (activation maps)
➔ Shows which part of the brain are involved in a particular mental process and this
has important implications for our understanding of localisation of function
● ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAMS -
➔ EEGs measure electrical activity within the brain via electrodes which are fixed to an
individual’s scalp using skull cap
➔ Scan recording represents the brainwave patterns that’re generated from the action
of millions of neurons
➔ Provides an overall account of brain activity
➔ EEG is often used by clinicians as a diagnostic tool as unusual arrhythmic patterns of
activity
➔ Arrhythmic patterns means no particular rhythm
➔ May indicate neurological abnormalities such as epilepsy, tumours or disorders of
sleep
