NEURO RESEARCH EXAM #1

Intuition, Authority, Rationalism, Method of tenacity, Empirical method

Methods of Knowing

Intuition

Information accepted on the basis of a hunch

Authority

Relies on information or answers from an expert in the field, quickest and easiest way to get answers

Rationalism

Seeking answers by locgical reasoning, emphasizes more careful logical analysis

Method of Tenacity

Information accepted as true because it has always been believed or because superstition supports it (confirmation bias)

Empiricism

Answering questions by direct observations (own experiences are not adquate sources of knowledge)

Scientific Method

Approach to acquiring knoweldge, involves formulating specific questions and then systematically finding answers

Inductive reasoning

Specific observations to broad generalizations

Deductive reasoning

Broad generalizations to specific observations

Observation, Hypothesis, Experiment, Results, Conclusion

Steps of Scientific Method

Independent variable

Variable the experimenter manipulates (presumed cause)

Dependent variable

Variable the experimenter measures (it is the presumed effect)

Extraneous variable

Any variable other than the dependent variable

Confounds

Specific type of extraneous variable that systematically varies along with the variables under investigation and therefore provides an alternative explanation for results

Empirical, public, and objective

What are three things science is?

Theory

Coherent explanation or interpretation of one or more phenomena

Hypothesis

Specific prediction about a new phenomenon that should be observed if a particular theory is accurate

Word plagiarism

when you use another author’s exact words or phrases without quotation marks

Idea plagiarism

when you present an idea from another source without citing the author

and year

Ethics

Set of rules that guide the behavior of a group

Nuremberg Code

Set of ten ethical principles for human experimentation

REFINE to be as humane as possible, REDUCE number of animals, necessary, REPLACE animals with computer simulatin or lower order animals

Three R's in Animal Research Ethics

Voluntary Consent, Societal Benefit, Prior Evidence, Avoid Suffering, No Death or Disabling Injury, Risk v. Benefit, Proper Facilities, Qualified Personnel, Right to Withdraw, Duty to Terminate

10 Principles of Nuremberg Code

Descriptive research

Type of research studies behavior and circumstances within which it occurs

Surveys

Individuals answer a series of questions

Case Study

Intensive study of a single individual

Naturalistic Observation

Systematically observes and records occurence of a behavior within the natural environment

Experimental research

Research that aims to identify functional relationships through manipulatin the IV and assessing the resulting effect on the DV

Group design

Research design where one of more IVs or levels of IVs are manipulated across groups; effects are compared acrosss average perfomance of each group

Single-Subject Design

Research design that requires only one or a few subjects in order to conduct and experiment

Comparison, Control, Manipulation, Measurement

4 basic elements of an experiment

Control group, treatment group, placebo group

Levels of the Independent Variable

Quantification

Count-how many are there? (Density - count/area)

Event Sampling/Rate of response

The number of times a particular behavior or event occurs during the observation period

Duration

The amount of time an individual repletely or continuously performs a behavior

Speed

The length of time it takes for a continuous behavior to occur from start to finish

Latency

The time required for a behavior to begin

Intensity

Magnitude of the behavior

Interval recording

A measurement of whether a behvaior occurs during each interval within a series of continuous intervals

Time sample recording

Whether a behavior occurs during each interval within a series of discontinuous intervals

Number of errors

Any behavior where the responses can be categorized as right or wrong

Counterbalancing

A procedure that minimizes threats from order effects and time related factors by changing the order in which treatment conditions are administtered from one subject to another

Vehicle-control groups

A control group specfically for drug administration, subjects recieve thee vehicle with no drug

Sham surgery

Control group set up exactly for surgery except fro the critical step thought to cause the chagnein

Internal validity

Confidence that the IV caused the change in the DV

Immunohistochemistry (IHC)

Technique that uses specific binding between an antibody and antigen to detect specific antigens in cells and tissues

Antibody

Type of protein that binds with a specific antigen

Flurophore

Chemical compound that absorbs light energy at a specific wavelength and re-emits light at a longer wavelength, through IHC you can attach them to antigens of interest

Disease diagnosis and biological research

What can immunohistochemistry be used for?

Biopsy

Procedure to remove an abnormal specimen

Needle biopsy

Biopsy where you insert a needle into the tumor

Excisional biopsy

Biopsy where you remove the entire tumor

Perfusions with saline and 4% Paraformaldehyde

How to preserve tissue once collected?

Sucrose

What do you place the brain sample in so it draw sthe fuild out and helps prevent ice crystals?

True

T/F: The brain must be sectioned so that specific regions can be stained

Cryostat

What can be used for tissue sectioning?

Phosphate-Buffered Saline washes to clean tissue, blocking helps prevent nonspecific binding, you incubate with antibodies

Sections of tissue are stained in IHC using various steps including:

Microscopy

You can observe stained tissue using what?

Elevated plus maze/elevated zero maze, open field test

Tests for anxiety-like behaviors

Elevated plus maze/elevated zero maze

Test that measures amount of time spent in open arms (more time in open arms indicates less anxiety-like behavior

Open field test for anxiety

Test that measures amount of time spent in open area (more time in open area indicates less anxiety-like behavior)

Home cage activity, open field locmotion test, running wheel/treadmill, rotarod test, footprint pattern assay

Tests that test locomotion

Home cage activity

Test where Infrared beams across the cage record the time and position of animal movement

Open field locomotion test

Test where animal’s movements are recorded as it moves around a square box

Running wheel/treadmill

Test where wheel is connected to a device that measures the total number of revolutions and the speed of the revolutions

Rotarod test

Test where animals balance on a spinning rod, the latency to fall off is measured

Footprint pattern assay

Test where you have the animal dip their paws in colored ink, walk down a paper-lined tunnel, then measure distance between paw prints

Footrprint Gait Analysis using overhead video tracking

Modern version of footprint pattern assay

Stride Length

Distance between two successive placements of the same paw

Stride Width

Perpendicular distance between left and right hindpaw placements (base of support)

Forepaw-Hindpaw Overlap

Distance between ipsilateral force and hind paw prints (0=perfect)

Stride Length CV

Coefficient of variable of stride length across strides (gait regularity)

Regularity index

Percentage of steps following normal limb sequence patterns (NSAP)

Gait Velocity

Mean locomotor speed during analyzed strides

Cadence

Step frequency (number of steps per second)

Left-Right Asymmetry Index

Absolute difference in left vs. right stride length normalized by their mean

Startle response assay, taste, olfaction

Tests for sensory function

Startle response assay

Test that exposes an animal to an unexpected and disruptive sensory stimulus

Taste

Test that uses a choice assay with different dissolved compounds and measures volume that the mouse drinks from each water bottle

Olfaction

Test that measures latency for an animal to find a familiar piece of food hidden within the cage

Tail flick test, tail immersion test, hot plate assay, von frey assay, Formalin essay

Tests that measure for nociception

Tail flick test

Beam high intensity light at rodent’s tail, Measure the amount of time for the tail to move to the side

Tail immersion test

Place the rat’s tail in hot water, Measure the latency to remove tail from hot water

Hot plate assay

Rodent placed on a hot plate with no escape, Measures the amount of time it takes for an animal to respond

Von Frey assay

Pokes the hind paws of an animal using plastic filaments. This is a

measure of mechanical allodynia (pain from normally innocuous

stimuli), and hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity to painful stimuli)

Formalin assay

Injects a small amount of a noxious chemical into a rodent’s paw

Morris Water Maze, Barnes Maze, Raidal Arm Maze

Tests that test for spatial learning and memory

Morris Water Maze

Training, Rodents placed in a pool with an invisible platform, Visual cues allow animals to learn the location of the platform

Barnes Maze

Tests whether animals can remember the location of a dropbox where

the animal can hide

Radial Arm Maze

Array of arms that may or may not contain food, Measures the amount of time it takes animals to find the arm leading to food, Measures the number of times the animal checks an arm it has previously visited

Novel object recognition

Test nonspatial learning and memory, assesses an animal’s ability to distinguish an old from a new object

Pavlovian fear conditioning

Test for learning and memory, pair a conditioned stimulus (CS, such as an auditory stimulus) with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US; for example, an electrical footshock), Measure freezing behavior

Self-administration, conditioned place preference

Tests that test for Reward-related behaviors

Self-administration

Test where animals are taught to perform a particular action and receive a reward

Conditioned place preference

Test where animal associates a particular location with a rewarding experience

Social approach/avoidance, resident-intruder assay

Tests that test for social behaviors

Social approach/avoidance

Test that presents a rodent with a choice between interacting with another

(unfamiliar) rodent or interacting with an inanimate object

Resident-intruder assay

Test that adds an intruder to the cage, counts the number of aggressive behaviors

Forced swim test, tail suspension assay

Tests that test for depressive-like behaviors

Forced swim test

Test that measures the time between being placed in water and onset of immobility