Frog Experiments, Animal Electricity & Early EEG

Vocabulary flashcards covering pioneers, devices, theories, and key terms from the lecture on animal electricity and early EEG research.

Aphra Behn

17th-century English playwright and spy who penned the first known Western description of bioelectricity after observing an electric eel.

Electric Eel

Fish capable of producing natural electrical discharges, inspiring early studies of bioelectricity.

Static Electricity

Charge produced by rubbing materials (e.g., amber with fur) noted since ancient Greek times.

Electricus

Word coined by William Gilbert (1600) meaning “like amber,” from which ‘electricity’ is derived.

Leyden Jar

Glass jar coated with metal foil inside and out; the first capacitor for storing and releasing static electricity.

Capacitor

Device that stores electrical charge; the Leyden jar was history’s first example.

Electrophysiology

Field founded by Galvani’s frog-leg experiments, studying electrical properties of living tissue.

Luigi Galvani

Italian physician (1737-1798) who showed that electrical stimulation of frog nerves causes muscle contraction, proposing ‘animal electricity.’

Frog Neuro-muscular Preparation

Classic experimental setup using isolated frog nerve and muscle to study electrical stimulation effects.

Animal Electricity

Galvani’s theory that living tissues generate their own electrical force responsible for nerve and muscle action.

Alessandro Volta

Italian physicist who opposed Galvani and invented the voltaic pile, proving electricity could be generated chemically.

Voltaic Pile

Early battery made of alternating zinc and copper discs separated by brine-soaked paper, delivering continuous voltage.

Meat Battery

Stack of frog muscles used by Matteucci to show current increased with more biological tissue, proving intrinsic bioelectricity.

Galvanism

Application of electricity to animate muscles and nerves, promoted by Galvani’s nephew Giovanni Aldini.

Giovanni Aldini

Galvani’s nephew who demonstrated galvanism on cadavers, popularizing animal electricity concepts.

Hallerian Irritability

Concept distinguishing ‘irritability’ (muscle contraction) from ‘sensibility’ (nerve-mediated sensation) in animals.

Irritability (Muscle)

Property of muscle fibers to contract when stimulated, per Albrecht von Haller.

Sensibility (Nerve)

Capacity of nerves to produce sensation when stimulated, per von Haller.

Carlo Matteucci

Italian physicist who used an improved galvanometer to prove measurable currents originate in living muscle.

Galvanometer

Sensitive instrument that detects and measures small electric currents; crucial in early bioelectric research.

Mirror Galvanometer

Lord Kelvin’s device where current twists a coil, deflecting a mirror and light beam to visualize micro-volt changes.

Emil Heinrich Du Bois-Reymond

German physiologist who revived Galvani’s work, demonstrating identical currents in nerve and muscle fibers.

Richard Caton

Liverpool physician who, in 1875, recorded the first spontaneous electrical oscillations from living mammalian brains.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Recording of brain’s electrical activity; Caton’s cortical signals were precursors to modern EEG.

Delta Waves

EEG frequency band of 2-4 Hz associated with deep sleep.

Theta Waves

EEG frequency band of 4-7 Hz linked to drowsiness and early sleep stages.

Alpha Waves

EEG band of 10-15 Hz observed during relaxed wakefulness or eyes-closed rest.

Beta Waves

EEG band of 18-30 Hz associated with alert, active thinking states.

Gamma Waves

EEG band above 30 Hz related to high-level cognitive processing and attention.

Social Neuroscience

Interdisciplinary field investigating neural, hormonal, and genetic mechanisms underlying social behavior.

David Ferrier

Neurophysiologist prosecuted for animal cruelty; created the first functional map of the cerebral cortex.