1 / 18

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

mstratton
Download Presentation

Research Methods

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Research Methods Psychology 2617

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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!

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. EEG • Electroeds placed on the head

  8. 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

  9. Diagnostic uses of EEG • Epilepsy is associated with crazy EEGs • Basically uncontrollable firing • Spreads can lead to a seizure

  10. Evoked potentials • Stimulus given • Basically computer subtracts out the background EEG • Used lots in research and in diagnostic areas • Some disorders show characteristic ERPs

  11. 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…

  12. Looking at metabolism • Blood flow techniques • Use radioactive isotopes • Look for anomalies • SPECT sort of a poor mans….

  13. PET scan • Positron emission tomography

  14. MRI • Magnetic Resonance Imaging

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. 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

More Related