Lecture 2: Active Brain Toolbox

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from Lecture 2, including research methods, experimental design, neuroimaging techniques, and exercise physiology.

Research Methods

Techniques used to understand variables or associations between variables.

Correlation

A method to observe the relationship between two or more variables without direct manipulation.

• make conclusions about variables being related

Correlation metrics

• Pearson r value

• R-squared

• slope (a) best of fit

Quasi-experimental

A type of research where individuals are divided based on a variable that cannot be easily manipulated.

• considered a type of Correlational methods

• Observed DV and conditions are compared

Experimental method

Experimenter manipulates one variable (IV) and it needs two conditions

• randomly assigned

• Observes DV (needs operational def)

• Conditions compared

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that the experimenter manipulates in an experiment.

• control group to be exactly the same except on one feature ( the difference is what you think to be the cause )

• Selection of IV is based on previous theory or findings

• Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that the experimenter measures in response to changes in the independent variable.

• needs operational def: defining your construct in measurable terms

• Needs to be observable and measurable

Random Assignment

A method in experiments used to equate groups by randomly assigning participants to different conditions.

Cross-Sectional Study

Research that observes a sample at a single point in time.

Longitudinal Study

Research that involves repeated measurements of the same individuals over extended periods.

Randomized Control Trial (RCT)

An experimental method that uses randomization to control for bias and see the causal effects. You either get the treatment or you don’t.

• participants don’t know the treatment condition

  OR

• Investigators blinded ( don’t know the treatment)

• Double blinded: both don’t know

Meta-analytic Methods

Techniques used to summarize results across multiple studies.

• collect papers

• Extract effects

• Analyze

Electroencephalography (EEG)

First human neuroimaging technique that records electrical activity of the brain.

Hans burger was the first psychiatrist to use EEG on a person and discovered the alpha wave.

Alpha Wave

A type of brainwave that your brain produces when you’re at rest, but you’re awake.

Ex: calm, daydreaming

Event related potentials

Averaged response to specific events

Physiological basis

Pyramidal cells, send and receive signals throughout the brain. When they are activated an electric charge flows within the cell. When a lot of cells do it together, it creates an electric current, which is stronger. This is picked up by the EEG.

Different signals:

Excitatory: flows into cell (turns activity up)

Inhibitory: flows out feel (turns activity down)

Oscillations

Task induced or endogenous brain rhythms

4 strategies to deal with noise EEG

1. Take advantage of movement silent periods

2. Randomize movement and signals

3. Separate signals and movements

4. Separate task related and noise signals

Key factors with exercise physiology considerations

1. Physical capacities

2. Timing of task and physical activity

3. Exercise type, duration, intensity, and frequency

4. Target population and individual differences

VO2max

A measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen an individual can utilize during intense exercise.

Psychosocial Factors

Variables related to psychological and social aspects that can affect research outcomes.

Exercise Physiology

The study of the body's responses to physical activity.

Physical Capacities

The body's ability to perform physical activities, influenced by various physiological factors.

• how much can the body handle?

• What is the response of the body?

Timing of task, execution, and physical activity

Synchronous: the task is occurring while engaged in the activity

Asynchronous: task and activity are at different times

Exercise type, duration, intensity, and frequency

Type: aerobic versus, anaerobic, or cardiovascular demand

Duration: acute= less than 60 minutes versus prolonged= more than 60

Intensity: how strong that exercise is

Frequency: is the Exercise one time or multiple times

Target population, and individual differences

Target population: general or specific ( expert)

Individual differences: fitness level, cognitive, demographics

EEG Key factors

1. Physical capacities

2. Timing of task and physical activity

3. Exercise type, duration, intensity, and frequency

4. Target population and individual differences

Synchronous exercise

Task is occurring while engaged in physical activity

Asynchronous

Task and activity are executed at different times

• task executed before and then exercise after

Peripheral

Outside of the head

• motor (skeletal & autonomic) and sensory

Central nervous system

Brain and spinal cord

• signaling happens during electrical activity ( action potentials) and neurochemical changes ( neurotransmitters)

Neurotransmitters

A type of signal

• can be excitatory or inhibitory

• Can be globally or regionally

Skeletal motor system (somatic)

Voluntary movements

Autonomic motor system

Regulates internal organs and eyes

• can be divided into three divisions ( parasympathetic, sympathetic, enteric )

Parasympathetic

Rest and digest

Sympathetic

Fight or flight response

Enteric

Manages digestion and associated processes

Peripheral

Neurotrophic

Effects that control neurogenesis, proliferation, differentiation, health

Neuromodulatory effects

Electrochemical effects that alter neural activity

Homeostasis

The body has ideal parameters to ensure functioning, there are feedback loops to ensure we stay close to that set point

• goal is to promote stability

Allostasis

A predictive system that anticipates stress and promotes stability through change

• involves nervous and endocrine system

• Goal: provide physiological resources just in time

Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis

Coordinate body’s response to stress

• hypothalamus

• Pituitary gland

Adrenal gland

Hypothalamus

Helps manage functioning of the autonomic system

Pituitary gland

Part of endocrine system and makes multiple hormones

Adrenal gland

A small gland that makes steroid hormones, cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline

HPA axis stress chain reaction

• release of cortisol

• Influences blood flow, respiration, metabolism, immune response, arousal,

• Slow, peaks in 20-30 min after an acute stressor

• Always on ti some degree

• Coordinates sleep/wake cycle

Exercise as a stressor to the body creates..

• increased corticosteroids (cortisol, ACTH)

  competition stress alters this

• Increase depends on intensity

• Increased catecholamines (epinephrine & norepinephrine)

  training reduces response to exercise

Sympathetic adrenal medullary axis

Fight or flight system

• stress detected the hypothalamus signals to the sympathetic nervous system to stimulate the adrenal medulla (releases adrenaline, noradrenaline)

• Inc heart rate, vasoconstriction, inc blood pressure, respiration, liver, pupil dilate, digestion slows

• Fast

• Always in to some degree

Sensory coding

Adapting behavioral goal with what happens on the environment

• hierarchically processed in the brain

• Communication is multi directional

• mapped spatial or nonspatial

bullock and geisbrecht 2014 study + results

Investigated the relationship between fitness and attention by doing an exercise task, and having individuals perform a visual task before and After.

Results: they found that higher capacity is associated with faster search times

Salience network

Controls response to unexpected events

• ACC: Anterior cingulate cortex, ventral, frontal, temporal, and parietal

Executive network

Controls goal relevant behavior

DLPFC & PPC

Mammalian Cortex

Sheath of gray matter surrounding white matter

• contains 6 layers and each has a specific role in brain processing

Niell and Stryker (2011) study

• investigated the impact of locomotive activity in awake mice

The mouse’ head is still/fixed and focused in visual But can move legs/run

• results showed that the mice had more brain activity when moving

SSVEP

When you look at a light that flickers your brain produces a neural oscillation with the same frequency

Sensation

Is how the body samples info from the environment

• transduction of a physical stimulus into a pattern of neural activity

Perception

How we interpret the information that is sampled by our senses

4 main types of tasks to measure perception

1. Detection

2. Identification

3. Discrimination

4. Scaling

Detection

Ask participants: is there anything there?

• measures performance as a function of intensity

Psychophysics

Understand the relationship between the physical stimulus and the perception of that stimulus

Signal detection theory

How good are you at telling the signal (outside) from the noise (focus)

Identification

• What is that thing?

• Performance is measured as accuracy

Discrimination

Is this stimulus different than that one?

• performance is usually measured as accuracy

Scaling

How much of X is there?

• performance is measured as accuracy or difference relative to actual amount

• Perception and reality are two different things

Cao and Handel

They found that when people are walking they notice more things in their mid peripheral vision than straight ahead

Aerobic (VO2 Max)

How much oxygen your body takes in during exercise ( any cardio)

Anaerobic

no oxygen being take in ( lifting weights)