Physiology of Behavior Chapter 5: Recording and stimulating neural activity

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

A direct brain stimulation technique that delivers a magnetic pulse through the skull and temporarily activates or disrupts the activity of neurons in a speceific area of the cerebral cortex

magnetoencephalography

A procedure that detects groups of synchronously activated neurons by means of the magnetic field induced by their electrical activity; uses an array of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDS).

autoradiography

A technique for detecting radioactively labeled molecules separated by gel electrophoresis by placing an unexposed film over the gel. A black dot appears on the film wherever a radioactive atom is present in the gel. Also can be used to locate labeled molecules in fixed tissue samples.

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Measure of electrical activity patterns in the brain, taken through electrodes placed on the scalp.

2-deoxyglucose (2-DG)

Radioactive, used to measure neural activity with Autoradiography (not with electrical signals) - resembles glucose so it's taken up by active cells, but it cannot be metabolized.

functional imaging

a computerized method of detecting metabolic or chemical changes in particular regions of the brain

positron emission tomography (PET)

a functional brain-imaging method in which a radioactive sugar is injected into the subject and a computer compiles a color-coded image of the activity of the brain, with lighter colors indicating more activity

Fos

a protein produced in the nucleus of a neuron in response to synaptic stimulation

macroelectrode

an electrode used to record the electrical activity of large numbers of neurons in a particular region of the brain; much larger than a microelectrode

single-unit recording

recording of the electrical activity of a single neuron

functional MRI (fMRI)

shows brain activity at higher reolution than PET scan when changes in oxygen concentration in neurons alters its magnetic qualities

microelectrodes

small wires that are used to record electrical signals from single neurons

optogenetic method

the use of a genetically modified virus to insert light-sensitive ion channels into the membrane of particular neurons in the brain; can depolarize or hyperpolarize the neurons when light of the appropriate wavelength is applied.