HTHSCI 1G03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Sensory Cortex, Lesion, Visual Cortex
6 Nov 2016
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Psychology lecture 6: methods of study in biology. Probing the nervous system: observe, lesion, stimulate, simulate. Invasive techniques (typically surgical procedures: single-unit recording. Typically not done on humans (unless undergoing brain surgery), more commonly done on animals (ex: monkeys) recording of individual neurons. Metal electrode is inserted into the somatic sensory cortex, which represents touch processing. Different parts receive input from different parts of the body. Electrode records activity of single neuron using action potentials: microneurography. Insert a metal electrode into the skin (ex: forearm or leg) Push all over to determine what body part that nerve responds to until you get a burst of action potentials. Determines where the nerve projects its axons to. Poor spatial resolution area identified is very general (ex: somewhere in the front) Excellent temporal resolution (excellent for measuring time; down to milliseconds) Conductive gel is inserted into electrode to amplify signals the electrodes measure the synchronous activity of many neurons.
