Scribd
Upload
62 views19 pages

Methods of Studying The Nervous System

The document discusses various methods used to study the nervous system in biopsychology including microscopy, lesion studies, EEG, scanning technologies like MRI and PET, and neuropsychological assessments. It provides details on specific techniques and tools used in each method.

Uploaded by

bigdreamer983
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
62 views19 pages

Methods of Studying The Nervous System

The document discusses various methods used to study the nervous system in biopsychology including microscopy, lesion studies, EEG, scanning technologies like MRI and PET, and neuropsychological assessments. It provides details on specific techniques and tools used in each method.

Uploaded by

bigdreamer983
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 19

METHODS OF

STUDYING THE
NERVOUS SYSTEM
BIOPSYCHOLOGY

• biopsychology is an interdisciplinary branch of psychology that analyzes how the brain,


neurotransmitters, and other aspects of our biology influence our behaviors, thoughts, and
feelings.
• this field of psychology is also sometimes known as physiological psychology, behavioral
neuroscience, or psychobiology.
• biopsychologists often examine how biological processes interact with emotions,
cognitions, and other mental functions
• The biological approach to the study of human and animal behavior is known as
biopsychology
GOALS OF BIOPSYCHOLOGY
• TO EXPLAIN BEHAVIOR
• THIS INVOLVES:
generalization
reduction
• TO UNDERSTAND NORMAL BRAIN FUNCTION
• TO DISCOVER MECHANISMS OF ABNORMAL BRAIN FUNCTION.
Various methods to record and understand brain-behaviour relationship, are
ablation,
psycho-physiological recordings,
electrical and chemical stimulation,
stereotaxic lesion,
neuroimaging, and neuropsychological assessments

• a number of methods have evolved over time; these methods include


• examining brain lesions
• microscopy
• electrophysiology
• Electroencephalography (EEG)
• scanning technologies.
• MICROSCOPY
light microscopes and, electron microscopes intricate connections that exist among nerve
cells.
staining procedures (immunocytochemistry) make it possible to see selected neurons that
are of one type or another or are affected by growth.

• LESION STUDIES
provided information about the function of the nervous system, by ablating (removing) parts
of the nervous system or using neurotoxins to destroy them and documenting the effects on
behavior or mental processes
• EEG
To study many neurons (millions of them at a time) electroencephalographic (EEG)
techniques were introduced. These methods are used to study how large ensembles of
neurons, representing different parts of the nervous system, with (event-related potentials)
or without stimulation function together.
The electrical activity of the brain is recorded using
Electroencephalograph (EEG) machine and the technique is known as
electroencephalography.

The EEG signals help in the


diagnosis of various disorders of
the brain, mild head injury,
cerebral pathology, epilepsy, and
speed of processing information
or how the memory functions
with an increase in age
MAGNETOENCEPHALOGRAPHY:
also referred as MEG, measures the changes in magnetic fields on the surface of the scalp, produced
by changes in the basic patterns of the neural activity.

ELECTROMYOGRAPHY:
the muscle tension is recorded with the help of electromyogram (EMG). the electrodes are
attached to the skin over the muscle that is to be investigated. when the muscle contracts producing
muscle tension, it is recorded .
SCANNING TECHNOLOGY
CAT(computerized axial tomography)
a noninvasive brain-scanning procedure that uses x-ray absorption around the head

MRI (MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING)


is a brain imaging noninvasive technique that uses magnetic energy to generate brain
images. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) involves scanning the brain to
measure blood flow by examining blood oxygenation and flow.
Higher blood flow and oxygenation in an area of the brain indicate higher activity levels.
PET (POSITRON EMISSION TOPOGRAPHY)
an invasive procedure that captures brain images with positron emissions from the brain
after the individual has been injected with radio-labeled isotopes.
Neuropsychological Assessments
to assess the amount of impairment in behavior or cognitive capacities
after brain injury or damage, we use neuropsychological assessment
procedures.
Various neuropsychological tests are employed to make an assessment of
different cognitive functions such as,
learning, memory, discrimination tasks, intelligence, language,
perception, decision making, reasoning, etc

these assessments help to get a clinical picture of the patient with respect to his/her
cognitive strengths as well as any difficulties that may be there in any cognitive or
psychological are
There are various diagnostic tests available for neuropsychological assessments
WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE:
it was published in 1939 by David Wechsler to measure intellectual performance of adults.
the Wechsler adult intelligence scale III (WISC-III) is administered on adults. Wechsler
intelligence scale for children (WISC-III) is administered on children between the age 6 to
16 years.
the Wechsler preschool & primary scale of intelligence-r (WPPSI-r) is designed for children
between the age 4 to 6 ½ years

The Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery


the battery consists of a set of neuropsychological measures which are used by a trained
psychologist or a clinical psychologist. The battery is designed to assess all major cognitive,sensory,
expressive and motor function
THE LURIA-NEBRASKA NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL
BATTERY:
it is a standardized battery of neuropsychological tests found to be useful in
diagnosing and treatment of brain damage or any brain dysfunction. the test battery
is useful for adolescents, adults and older adults. the major areas covered in
assessment are motor, perceptual (auditory, tactile, visual), language (receptive
speech, expressive speech), academic (reading, recognition, spelling, writing,
arithmetic), memory and intelligence functioning
THE REY-OSTERRIETH COMPLEX FIGURE TEST:
• it is used to assess visual perception and visual memory in brain damaged
individual. it is one of the most used tools to assess constructional abilities
and is also used as a non-verbal memory test
DELIS-KAPLAN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION SYSTEM
it is a neuropsychological assessment for executive functions like thinking, inhibition,
problem solving, planning, impulse control, concept formation, abstract thinking, and
creativity

WISCONSIN CARD SORTING TEST:


HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/ITZZCV6XUBS
it is a neuropsychological test of 'set-shifting'. it is used to assess frontal lobe dysfunction in
patients of brain injury, schizophrenia or any other mental illness. the participant has to sort
64 cards to match either with colour, form or number of figures
DICHOTIC LISTENING TEST:
diachotic (di=2; otic=ear) test is non-invasive test.initially used to investigate selective attention but
later, used to assess hemispheric lateralization of language ability. in the standard dichotic listening
task, a participant is simultaneously presented with two different auditory stimuli through
earphones. based on the instructions given by the experimenter

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy