PSYC 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Reward System, Limbic System, Amygdala
9 Dec 2013
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The tools of discovery: having our head examined. Scientists can selectively lesion (destroy) tiny clusters of brain cells, leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed. Today"s neuroscientists can also electrically, chemically, or magnetically stimulate various parts of the brain and note effect. Electrical activity is your brain"s billions of neurons sweeps in regular waves across its surface an electroencephalogram (eeg) is an amplified readout of such waves. A pet scan shows which brain areas are most active as the person does mathematical calculations, looks at images, or daydreams ( hotspots ) Mri (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scans, the persons head it put in a strong magnetic field which aligns the spinning atoms of brain molecules. Then a radio-wave pulse momentarily disorients the atoms. When the atoms return to their normal spin, they emit signals that provide a detailed picture of soft tissues, including the brain.
