Research Methods
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Transcript Research Methods
Research Methods
Psychology 2617
Or, so how do we know this stuff
We can look at the whole brain
We can look at parts thereof
We can look at neurons
We can look at synapses
neurons
Even before electron microscopes, we
could look at neurons thanks to Golgi
He discovered that when stained with
Silver chromate, neurons went black
Today we call this golgi stain
Led to the classification of neurons, as we
could finally see their physical properties
Stains are not always bad
Golgi stain does not show number of
neurons in a region that well though
It stains just a few
Nissl Used dyes!
Methelyne blue
Myelin staining
HRP and axonal transport allow us to see
circuits!
Radiation, run for your lives!
X Rays are cool, but,
they don’t work well
on brains
AEG, kinda
dangerous
CAT scans are cool
though
Gives us a good idea
about form
Some of this stuff is a little, oh
yucky
Angiography
Wada technique
Both involve injections into the blood
supply of the brain while the patient is
awake
Wada technique proved once and for all
the idea of hemispheric specialization
EEG
Electroeds placed on
the head
Brain waves
Gamma activity is fast and big, peak
activity
Beta low amplitude but fast, being alert
Alpha quiet
Theta quiet, sleep
Delta super slow, deep sleep
Diagnostic uses of EEG
Epilepsy is associated
with crazy EEGs
Basically
uncontrollable firing
Spreads can lead to a
seizure
Evoked potentials
Stimulus given
Basically computer subtracts out the
background EEG
Used lots in research and in diagnostic
areas
Some disorders show characteristic ERPs
Electrical Brain stimulation
Basically put an electrode in the brain with
the patient awake
The classic Dr. Penfield approach
Not nearly as effective as Penfield made it
out to be…
Looking at metabolism
Blood flow techniques
Use radioactive isotopes
Look for anomalies
SPECT sort of a poor mans….
PET scan
Positron emission
tomography
MRI
Magnetic Resonance
Imaging
MRI
Basically a combo of RF signals and a
REALLY strong magnetic field
Has no ill effects, unless you have a metal
plate in your head
Shows form and function
Behavioural techniques
These are really the kind of thing that
involve say, touching your nose
Or presenting a stimulus to one visual field
and not the other
Really quite telling, but nowadays you then
end up in an MRI often
Advances
Basically the imaging techniques remain
the same
It is the computing power and software
that is allowing for real time analysis that is
having the biggest effect
When MRI first came out the fastest
desktop computer was MAYBE running a
75 MHz
This little powerbook runs at 1.25 Ghz