Psych 202 Week 1: Neuroscience Methods & Neurons

Spatial resolution

Where in the brain activity is happening.

Temporal resolution

When brain activity is happening.

Causal Inference

Why the brain is doing something.

What is EEG/MEG good for: spatial resolution or temporal resolution?

Temporal resolution – shows when brain activity occurs.

What is fMRI/CT good for: spatial resolution or temporal resolution?

Spatial resolution – shows where brain activity occurs.

What is PET good for: spatial resolution or temporal resolution?

Spatial resolution – shows where brain activity occurs.

Causal

One thing directly causes another

Correlation

Two things change together.

What 3 approaches test causal inference?

Patient studies, TMS, animal studies.

What did Phineas Gage’s accident show about the frontal lobe?

Frontal lobe is essential for personality and social behavior.

Brain plasticity

The brain's ability to change and adapt throughout life

What does Nissl stain show?

Outlines cell bodies.

What does Golgi stain show?

Full neuron shape (dendrites + axons).

What does Immunohistochemistry (IHC) show?

Specific proteins in neurons (via antibodies).

What does In situ hybridization show?

Active genes in neurons (RNA/DNA labeled).

What does Brainbow show?

Different colors reveal neuron connections

What do tract tracers show?

Axon pathways

What does autoradiography show?

Where drugs/chemicals bind.

What is a somatic intervention?

Manipulating the body to see changes in behavior.

What is behavioral intervention?

Experience affects body/brain

What is correlation in research?

Body & behavior change together.

Independent variable

Group being altered/manipulated

Dependent variable

Behavioral effect

Control group

Group that does not receive experiment or treatment

Within-participant experiment

Same participants do all conditions.

Between-participant experiment

Experimental group is compared to control group

What is the replication crisis in neuroscience?

Difficulty replicating earlier findings due to brain/behavior complexity.

What does conserved mean in biology?

Traits passed down across species.

What is reductionism?

Breaking a system into smaller parts to study.

Levels of analysis

The different biological, psychological, and social-cultural perspectives used to understand behavior and mental processes

What are event-related potentials (ERP)?

EEG response to stimulus (ex. flashing light, loud sound)

What happens in the brain during seizures?

Electrical activity synchronizes, producing spike-and-wave patterns.

What is an aura?

Sensation before a seizure.

What is TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)

Uses magnets over parts of brain to stimulate neurons.

Is TMS causal or correlational?

Causal

What does electrophysiology study?

Electrical activity of neurons.

What is an electrode microarray?

Grid of electrodes recording from many neurons.

What is optogenetics?

Using light to turn neurons on/off with light-sensitive proteins.

What are the steps of optogenetics?

• Piece together genetic construct

• Insert construct into virus

• Inject virus into animal brain

• Insert optrode fibre optic cable plus electrode

• Laser light of specific wavelength opens ion channel in neurons

What are the two main brain cell types?

Neurons (signals) & Glia (support).

How many neurons in brain?

85–100 billion.

What do dendrites do?

Receive signals (like ears)

What does the soma (cell body) do?

Combines signals from dendrites

What does the axon do?

Send signals to other neurons

What do axon terminals do?

Release neurotransmitters into synapse

What is an action potential?

Electrical signal traveling down axon.

Multipolar neuron

Many dendrites, one axon (most common).

Bipolar neuron

One dendrite, one axon.

Unipolar neuron

Cell body off to the side; dendrite sends info down to axon (mostly sensory neurons)

What is myelin?

A fatty, insulating layer that wraps around nerve fibers (axons). Helps speed up neural impulses. Creates white matter.

What are oligodendrocytes?

Cells that make myelin in the central nervous system.

Neurogenesis

The process of creating new neurons, which are the fundamental cells of the nervous system

What type of neuroimaging techniques provide the best spatial resolution

fMRI, CT, PET

What type of neuroimaging techniques provide the best temporal resolution

EEG/MEG

What are the four main types of glial cells?

Astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, and ependymal cells