Imaging the Brain’s Activity Chapter 7 The Methods Behind the Madness

What method is used to measure the electrical activity of individual neurons?

Single-Cell Recording, which involves inserting a microelectrode into a cell.

What does Single-Cell Recording reveal about neurons?

It reveals how specific neurons process information in response to stimuli.

What type of stimulus are most neurons tuned to in Single-Cell Recording?

Most neurons are tuned to a particular low-level stimulus or behavior.

What is the significance of Grandmother Cells in neuroscience?

Grandmother Cells are hypothetical neurons that may be responsible for recognizing specific individuals, such as one's grandmother.

What did Quiroga et al. (2005) identify in their study?

They identified a cell that responds specifically to Jennifer Aniston.

How is Single-Cell Recording used in epilepsy research?

It maps seizure onset zones more precisely before surgery and studies brain function, memory, decision-making, and abnormal activity during epilepsy.

What are some advantages of Single-Cell Recording in animal studies?

Advantages include precise control of conditions, access to many brain regions, high spatial resolution, direct measurement, and usefulness in epilepsy surgery.

What are the limitations of Single-Cell Recording?

Limitations include species differences (generalizability), invasiveness, behavioral complexity, and technical difficulty.

What is one key difference between Single-Cell Recording and other methods like EEG and fMRI?

Single-Cell Recording provides direct measurement of neuronal activity, unlike EEG and fMRI.

What is the purpose of recording electrical activity in the brain?

To understand how neurons respond to stimuli and process information.

What is a potential ethical concern regarding invasive brain recording techniques?

The invasiveness of the procedure raises ethical concerns about animal welfare and generalizability of findings.

Why is high spatial resolution important in brain imaging?

High spatial resolution allows for precise localization of brain activity and function.

What challenges do researchers face when interpreting data from Single-Cell Recording?

Challenges include behavioral complexity and the difficulty of generalizing findings across species.

What is cortical stimulation?

Stimulation using electrodes placed on the surface of the brain.

What is subcortical stimulation?

Stimulation of white matter pathways in the brain.

What is Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)?

A technique that implants electrodes into a brain region to stimulate it at different frequencies for treating conditions like Parkinson's disease, depression, OCD, and epilepsy.

What are the advantages of brain stimulation?

Precise targeting, localizes function, treats neurological and psychiatric conditions, and reveals brain-behavior links.

What are the limitations of brain stimulation?

It is invasive, poses seizure risks, effects may fade, and relies on healthy participants.

What are controlled brain lesions?

Purposeful selective damage to a constrained location in an animal's brain to observe resulting behavior.

What is the purpose of controlled brain lesions?

To observe the effects of damage to specific brain areas, such as how hypothalamus damage affects hunger regulation.

What are the advantages of controlled brain lesions?

They provide causal brain-behavior links, precise localization, and valuable clinical insights.

What are the limitations of controlled brain lesions?

They are invasive, cause irreversible damage, and have ethical concerns.

What are acquired brain lesions?

Brain damage that occurs after birth, resulting in the inability to perform specific functions.

What are the advantages of studying acquired brain lesions?

They provide valuable insights into brain function and reveal the functional role of damaged areas.

What are the limitations of studying acquired brain lesions?

They cause irreversible damage, have variable effects, and limited generalizability.

What does EEG measure?

Electrical activity in the brain using small metal discs (electrodes) attached to the scalp.

What are Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)?

Brain responses measured to specific sensory, cognitive, or motor events, averaged over many trials.

How can ERP-based systems assist patients?

They enable communication for patients with paralysis, ALS, or disorders of consciousness.

What is EEG neurofeedback?

A therapy that aims to change brain responses to stimuli, used for conditions like ADHD, epilepsy, and anxiety.

What is Computed Tomography (CT)?

An imaging technique that uses X-rays to create pictures of the skull and brain.

What are the advantages of CT scans?

They are quick, widely available, and good for quick diagnosis.

What are the limitations of CT scans?

They provide less detail than MRI, involve radiation exposure, and do not provide functional information.

What is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)?

An imaging technique that uses strong magnets to create detailed images of the brain.

What are the advantages of MRI?

It is non-invasive, has excellent spatial resolution, and can detect subtle lesions.

What are the limitations of MRI?

It cannot be used on claustrophobic patients or those with metal implants and is susceptible to movement artifacts.

What does Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) map?

The brain's white matter connections and illustrates the orientation of white matter fibers.

What is Positron Emission Tomography (PET)?

An imaging technique that uses radioactive substances to measure changes in metabolic processes in the brain.

What are the advantages of PET scans?

They show metabolic and functional activity and can detect diseases before structural changes occur.

What are the limitations of PET scans?

They involve radiation exposure, are expensive, and have lower spatial resolution than MRI/CT.

What does Functional MRI (fMRI) measure?

Brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow associated with neural activity.

What are the advantages of fMRI?

It is non-invasive, has excellent spatial resolution, and maps brain activity in real time.

What are the limitations of fMRI?

It is an indirect measure of activity, expensive, and sensitive to movement.

What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)?

A technique that applies a magnetic field at the surface of the skull to change the electrical activity of adjacent neurons.

How do brain imaging techniques differ?

They vary in expense, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and invasiveness, depending on the research question.