Research Techniques of Neuroscience

Lecture 5

Studying the Brain & Behavior

Anatomy & behavior Damage behavior changes Structural differences behavior

Activity & behavior Behavior record activity Change activity behavior?

Correlation vs experimentation causality ~

Brain Damage & Behavior Correlate

area damaged behavioral change trepanation Broca’s aphasia Clinical Neuropsychology

Problems: variability location of damage spared behaviors/abilities post mortem ~

Brain Damage & Behavior

Experimental ablation Lesion brain behavior change?

Karl Lashley search for ingram (memory trace) concluded function not localized

Problems multiple areas involved may lesion tracts passing through ~

Anatomy & Behavior: Modern Techniques

CAT (CT) scan computer axial tomography x-rays of brain

Advantages noninvasive patient still alive

Disadvantages same causality problems resolution ~

Anatomy & Behavior: Modern Techniques

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) anatomy higher resolution than CAT spinning H atoms ~

Normal Brain Differences

Imaging Staining Radio-isotope labeling

Sex differences sexual dimorphism hypothalamus corpus callosum planum temporale ~

Hypothalamus Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus - SDN

Male vs female sexual behavior ~

Normal Brain Differences

Brain Activity & Behavior

Record activity during behavior EEG

electroencephalograph reads electrical activity of brain

Brain Activity & Behavior PET scan

Positron Emission Tomographymetabolic activityradioactive 2-deoxyglucose

Disadvantages spatial/temporal resolution correlational ~

Brain Activity & Behavior : fMRI

Functional MRI detects increases in oxygen use

Advantages anatomy & activity High resolution spatial & temporal

Disadvantages correlational ~

Brain Activity & Behavior

Change activity change behavior? Electrical Stimulation of Brain (ESB)

Fritz & Hitzig Olds & Milner

Advantage experimental

Disadvantage invasive ~

Brain Activity & Behavior Change activity change behavior? Electrical Stimulation of Brain (ESB)

Fritz & Hitzig Olds & Milner neurosurgery

Advantage experimental

Disadvantage invasive ~

Brain Activity & Behavior Experimental Psychopharmacology

chemically change activity learn about drugs or use drugs to learn about brain &

behavior Block dopamine receptor

movement effects? learning effects?

Combine with behavioral tests ~

Brain Activity & Behavior

Prenatal exposure to methamphetamine effects on learning?

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Detour Learning Trial

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Brain Activity & Behavior

Cellular imaging radioactive labeling similar idea to PET

Cellular changes during learning role of Ca++ ions ~

Genetic Techniques

Knock-out Mice Genes change microanatomy alter function

Disable gene no protein receptor, enzyme, etc evaluate effect on behavior

Obesity Alcoholism ~