Chapter 5 - The Research Methods of Biopsychology Flashcards

1
Q

Contrast x-ray techniques

A

X-ray techniques that involve the injection, into one compartment of the body, of a substance that absorbs x-rays either less than or more than surrounding tissues

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2
Q

Cerebral angiography

A

A contrast x-ray technique for visualizing the cerebral circulatory system by infusing a radio opaque dye into a cerebral artery

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3
Q

Computed tomography (CT)

A

A computer-assisted x-ray procedure that can be used to visualize the brain and other internal structures of the living body

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4
Q

Positron emission tomography (PET)

A

A technique for visualizing brain activity, usually by measuring the accumulation of radioactive fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in active areas of the brain

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5
Q

Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)

A

A molecule that is similar to glucose, and is thus rapidly taken up by active cells. However, unlike glucose, fluorodeoxyglucose cannot be metabolized; it therefore accumulates in active cells until it is gradually broken down. A radioactive isotope of this molecule is commonly used in positron emission tomography (PET)

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6
Q

Ligand

A

A molecule that binds to another molecule; neurotransmitters are ligands of their recept

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7
Q

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

A

A structural brain imaging procedure in which high-resolution images are constructed from the measurement of waves that hydrogen atoms emit when they are activated by radio-frequency waves in a magnetic field

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8
Q

Spatial resolution

A

The ability of a recording technique to detect differences in spatial location (e.g., to pinpoint a location in the brain)

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9
Q

Diffusion tensor MRI

A

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that is used for identifying major tracts

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10
Q

Functional MRI (fMRI)

A

A magnetic resonance imaging technique for inferring brain activity by measuring increased oxygen flow into particular areas

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11
Q

BOLD signal

A

The blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal that is recorded by functional MRI (fMRI)

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12
Q

Temporal resolution

A

The ability of a recording technique to detect

differences in time (i.e., to pinpoint when an event occurred)

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13
Q

Functional ultrasound imaging (fUS)

A

A technique that uses ultrasound (sound waves of a higher frequency than we can hear) to measure changes in blood volume in particular brain regions

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14
Q

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

A

A technique that can be used to stimulate (“turn on”) or turn off an area of the cortex by creating a magnetic field under a coil positioned next to the skull

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15
Q

Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES)

A

A technique that can be used to stimulate (“turn on”) an area of the cortex by applying an electrical current through two electrodes placed directly on the scalp

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16
Q

Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (tUS)

A

A technique that, like transcranial electrical stimulation and magnetic stimulation, can be used to activate particular brain structures

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17
Q

Electroencephalography

A

A technique for recording the gross electrical activity of the brain through electrodes, which in humans are usually attached to the surface of the scalp

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18
Q

Alpha waves

A

Regular, 8- to 12-per-second, high-amplitude EEG

waves that typically occur during relaxed wakefulness and just before falling asleep

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19
Q

Event-related potentials (ERPs)

A

The EEG waves that regularly accompany certain psychological events

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20
Q

Sensory evoked potential

A

A change in the electrical activity of the brain (e.g., in the cortical EEG) that is elicited by the momentary presentation of a sensory stimulus

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21
Q

Signal averaging

A

A method of increasing the signal-to-noise ratio by reducing background noise

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22
Q

P300 wave

A

The positive EEG wave that usually occurs about 300 milliseconds after a momentary stimulus that has meaning for the subject

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23
Q

Far-field potentials

A

EEG signals recorded in attenuated form at the scalp because they originate far away—for example, in the brain stem

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24
Q

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

A

A technique for measuring changes in magnetic fields on the surface of the scalp that are produced by changes in underlying patterns of neural activity

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25
Q

Electromyopgraphy

A

A procedure for measuring muscle tension

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26
Q

Electrooculography

A

A technique for recording eye movements through electrodes placed around the eye

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27
Q

Skin conductance level (SCL)

A

A measure of the background level of skin conductance associated with a particular situation

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28
Q

Skin conductance response (SCR)

A

The transient change in skin conductance associated with discrete experiences

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29
Q

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

A

A recording of the electrical signals associated with heartbeats

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30
Q

Hypertension

A

Chronically high blood pressure

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31
Q

Plethysmography

A

Any technique for measuring changes in the volume of blood in a part of the body

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32
Q

Stereotaxic atlas

A

A series of maps representing the 3D structure of the brain that is used to determine coordinates for stereotaxic surgery

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33
Q

Bregma

A

The point on the surface of the skull where two of the major sutures intersect; commonly used as a reference point in stereotaxic surgery on rodents

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34
Q

Stereotaxic instrument

A

A device for performing stereotaxic surgery, composed of two parts: a head holder and an electrode holder

35
Q

Aspiration

A

A lesion technique in which tissue is drawn off by suction through the fine tip of a glass pipette

36
Q

Reversible lesions

A

Methods for temporarily eliminating the activity in a particular area of the brain while tests are being conducted

37
Q

Cannula

A

A fine, hollow tube that is implanted in the body for the purpose of introducing or extracting substances

38
Q

Neurotoxins

A

Neural poisons

39
Q

Autoradiography

A

The technique of photographically developing brain slices that have been exposed to a radioactively labeled substance (such as 2-deoxyglucose) so that regions of high uptake are made visible

40
Q

Cerebral dialysis

A

A method for recording changes in brain chemistry in behaving animals in which a fine tube with a short semipermeable section is implanted in the brain and extracellular neurochemicals are continuously drawn off for analysis

41
Q

Immunocytochemistry

A

A procedure for locating particular proteins in the brain by labeling their antibodies with a dye or radioactive element and then exposing slices of brain tissue to the labeled antibodies

42
Q

In situ hybridization

A

A technique for locating particular proteins in the brain; molecules that bind to the mRNA that directs the synthesis of the target protein are synthesized and labeled, and brain slices are exposed to them

43
Q

Gene knockout techniques

A

Procedures for creating organisms that

lack a particular gene

44
Q

Gene knockin techniques

A

Procedures for creating organisms that

have one or more additional genes

45
Q

Trasngenic mice

A

Mice into which the genetic material of another species has been introduced

46
Q

Gene editing techniques

A

Techniques that allow researchers to edit genes at a particular time during development

47
Q

CRISPR/Cas9 method

A

A popular gene editing technique. It allows researchers to edit parts of the genome by removing from, adding to, or altering the DNA sequence

48
Q

Green fluorescent protein (GFP)

A

A protein that is found in certain species of jellyfish and that fluoresces when exposed to blue light

49
Q

Brainbow

A

A genetic cell-labeling technique where hundreds of different hues can be generated by stochastic and combinatorial expression of a few spectrally distinct fluorescent proteins

(via PubMed)

50
Q

Opsins

A

Light-sensitive ion channels that are found in the cell membranes of certain bacteria and algae. When opsins are illuminated with light, they open and allow ions to enter the cell.

51
Q

Optogenetics

A

A method that uses genetic engineering techniques to insert the opsin gene, or variants of the opsin gene, into particular types of neurons. By inserting an opsin gene into a particular type of neuron, a researcher can use light to hyperpolarize or depolarize those neurons

52
Q

Behavioral paradigm

A

A single set of procedures developed for the investigation of a particular behavioral phenomenon

53
Q

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

A

A widely used test of general intelligence that includes 11 subtests

54
Q

Digit span

A

The longest sequence of random digits that can be repeated correctly 50 percent of the time—most people have a digit span of 7

55
Q

Token test

A

A preliminary test for language-related deficits that involves following verbal instructions to touch or move tokens of different shapes, sizes, and colors

56
Q

Sodium amytal test

A

A test involving the anesthetization of first one cerebral hemisphere and then the other to determine which hemisphere plays the dominant role in language

57
Q

Dichotic listening test

A

A test of language lateralization in which two different sequences of three spoken digits are presented simultaneously, one to each ear, and the subject is asked to report all of the digits heard

58
Q

Repetition priming tests

A

Tests of implicit memory;

In one example, a list of words is presented, then fragments of the original words are presented and the subject is asked to complete them

59
Q

Cognitive neuroscience

A

A division of biopsychology that focuses on the use of functional brain imaging to study the neural mechanisms of human cognition

60
Q

Constituent cognitive processes

A

Simple cognitive processes that combine to produce complex cognitive processes

61
Q

Paired-image subtraction technique

A

The use of PET or fMRI to locate constituent cognitive processes in the brain by producing an image of the difference in brain activity associated with two cognitive tasks that differ in terms of a single constituent cognitive process

62
Q

Default mode

A

The pattern of brain activity that is present when humans sit quietly and let their minds wander

63
Q

Default mode network

A

The network of brain structures that tends to be active when the brain is in default mode

64
Q

Resting state-fMRI (R-fMRI)

A

One application of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) wherein brain scans are carried out while the participant is not performing any explicit tasks

65
Q

Mean difference image

A

In the context of functional neuroimaging, the average of the difference images (obtained via paired-image subtraction) obtained from multiple participants

66
Q

Functional connectivity (FC)

A

An approach used by cognitive neuroscientists that examines which brain regions have parallel activation patterns over time

67
Q

Functional connectome

A

A catalogue of the functional connectivity associated with each behavior and cognitive process

68
Q

Species-common behaviors

A

Behaviors that are displayed in the same manner by virtually all like members of a species

69
Q

Open-field test

A

In this test an animal is placed in a large, barren chamber and its activity is recorded

70
Q

Thigmotaxic

A

Tending to stay near the walls of an open space such as a test chamber

71
Q

Colony-intruder paradigm

A

A paradigm for the study of aggressive and defensive behaviors in male rats; a small male intruder rat is placed in an established colony in order to study the aggressive responses of the colony’s alpha male and the defensive responses of the intruder

72
Q

Elevated plus maze

A

An apparatus for recording defensiveness or anxiety in rats by assessing their tendency to avoid the two open arms of a plus sign–shaped maze mounted some distance above the floor

73
Q

Lordosis

A

The arched-back, rump-up, tail-to-the-side posture of female rodent sexual receptivity

74
Q

Intromission

A

Insertion of the penis into the vagina

75
Q

Ejaculate

A

To eject sperm from the penis

76
Q

Lordosis quotient

A

The proportion of mounts that elicit lordosis

77
Q

Pavlovian conditioning paradigm

A

A paradigm in which the experimenter pairs an initially neutral stimulus (conditional stimulus) with a stimulus (unconditional stimulus) that elicits a reflexive response (unconditional response); after several pairings, the neutral stimulus elicits a conditional response

78
Q

Operant conditioning paradigm

A

A paradigm in which the rate of a particular voluntary response is increased by reinforcement or decreased by punishment

79
Q

Self-stimulating paradigm

A

A paradigm in which animals press a lever to administer reinforcing electrical stimulation to particular sites in their own brains

80
Q

Conditioned taste aversion

A

An avoidance response that develops to the taste of food whose consumption has been followed by illness

81
Q

Radial arm maze

A

A maze in which several arms radiate out from a central starting chamber; commonly used to study spatial learning in rats

82
Q

Morris water maze

A

A pool of milky water that has a goal platform invisible just beneath its surface and is used to study the ability of rats to learn spatial locations

83
Q

Conditioned defensive burying

A

The burial of a source of aversive

stimulation by rats