PSYCH 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Positron Emission Tomography, Electrophysiology
Document Summary
Takes advantage of electrical changes due to action potential. Exchanges of ions are a critical part to neuron communication because that"s what gets the action potential working So maybe there are electrical changes that we could look for or activate to get brain parts to be active! Penfield"s attempt to find the engram in the 1950"s. In comparison to the previous approaches, electrophysiology tells us a whole slew of information about the nervous system with some distinct advantages. Allows us to get larger samples of individuals. Allows us to more accurately measure the location of activity (spatial resolution - measures in inches) Allows us to detect when the brain is activated (temporal resolution - measures in milliseconds) Allows us to look at what"s active, not just what"s needed for different functioning. Put magnets over brains of individuals and hit people with magnetic pulses, which will stimulate and deactivate the area. Uses magnetic pulses to temporarily deaden areas of the brain.
