Brain Bee Chapter 16: Kinds of Research

What is anatomy?

Anatomy is the study of structure, usually of living organisms

What is Histology?

Histology is when thin slices of tissue are cut. Then stains are applied to highlight structures, then a microscope shines light and uses lenses to make structures appear larger

How do Electron Microscopes work?

Beams of electrons through thin tissue slices and lenses to magnify cellular structures hundreds of thousands of times

What are Radioactive Molecules used for?

To map neuronal networks, researchers injected radioactive molecules to track the radioactivity along the axon to see where it goes

How does MRI work? What does it show?

• Uses strong magnets and radio waves to create detailed images of the brain by showing water distribution in tissues 

• Shows gray matter, white matter, and fluid

what is Electrophysiology used for? And how is it used?

• To measure changes in the electrical charge of individual neurons

• A thin glass electrode is placed inside a neuron to measure voltage across its membrane

What is Electrocenphalography? What can it be used for?

• Can record brain activity non-invasively

• Discs are placed on the scalp and connected to a machine

What is Two-Photon Microscopy used for?

Allowed researchers to see changes in the brain during normal processes like learning and in diseases

What are Microarrays used for?

Scientists can compare DNA from a healthy person and someone with a disorder to see which DNA pieces are repeated more

What is CRISPR and what is it used for?

CRISPR: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) 

• A precise genome-editing tool

What is Optogenetics

Combines genetics with light to control brain activity

What is Epigenetics?

Epigenetics studies chemical tags placed on these regulatory regions, which influence whether genes are turned on or off

What is Lissencephaly?

Where the brain is smooth instead of having normal ridges and grooves

• 70% of patients have mutations in the LIS1 gene

What is Kabuki Syndrome?

Intellectual disabilities, distinct facial appearance, slow growth in infancy, other physical problems

• Most, but not all, patients have mutations in the KMT2D gene

What is Fragile X syndrome?

A mutation where there are no showing symptoms

What did researchers use to study training timing, and portents that strengthen synapses?

The marine slug Aplysia

What is studied to show genes affect behavior?

The fruit fly Drosophila

What does Imaging help you study?

Helps study brain disorders

What is Microdialysis and how is It studied?

Microdialysis to study neurotransmitters in action:

• Tubes in the brain to collect tiny fluids which is analyzed to identify molecules that are important for learning

What is Pharmacology?

• Studies how drugs affect the brain

• It aims to develop new treatments for pain and psychiatric disorders

• Understand addiction

What is mass Spectrometry?

Analyzes: molecules in collected samples

What is a functional MRI?

Tracks brain activity by measuring blood flow and the difference between oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood

What is Magnetoencephalography (MEG)?

Measures actual electrical currents from groups of neurons

What is Near-Infared Spectroscopy?

Estimates neuron activity by monitoring oxygenated blood

What is Positron emission tomography (PET)

Detects injected short-lived radioactive compounds, such as oxygen, glucose, or neurotransmitters

What is a Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Uses a magnetic coil near the head to temporarily activate or silence a cortical region.

What is Computational Neuroscience?

Bridges microscopic findings and whole-brain activity