01:830:301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Excitatory Synapse, Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potential, Neuroimaging
Document Summary
Firing of the pre-synaptic neuron either increases the chances of post-synaptic neuron firing (excitatory synapse) Decreases chances of post-synaptic neuron firing (inhibitory synapse) One impulse is not the basic element of information. Continuous information is encoded by rate of firing (hertz = # per second, the neuron is firing) Firing rate is always measured relative to baseline. Eeg - record brain activity using electrodes on scalp. Difficult to localize, skull and scalp are both in the way - hard to pinpoint precisely. The signal itself will be very weak. Highly active regions will have greater blood flow. Perception is a result of: available physical energy, sensitivities of our sense organs, information processing in the brain. To understand visual perception, we must study: light and its interaction with objects, structure and function of the eye, information processing in the eye and brain. Light as particles - travels in straight lines as rays . The smallest unit of light is a photon.
