How Neuroscientist Study the Brain and Mind

How does brain imaging work and what does it tell us?

In mapping the brain and studying its structures and functions, researchers once had to rely on changes in behavior that were attributable to brain damage. They later began studying brain lesions in laboratory animals and using electrical brain stimulation (EBS) in humans.

Computerized tomography (CT) and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are methods of studying brain structures but not brain functioning.

Positron emission tomography (PET) and Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are methods of studying brain structures and pathways, as well as what they do, in an ongoing manner.

How do neuroscientists measure electrical changes and what do they tell us?

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method of measuring overall brain electrical activity. Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG) allows measurement of precise event-related potentials (ERPs).

 

How Neuroscientist Study the Brain and Mind: Definitions
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scan Radiology uses X rays and other forms of radiant energy to both diagnose and treat diseases. This magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of a normal adult head shows the brain, airways, and soft tissues of the face. The large cerebral cortex, appearing in yellow and green, forms the bulk of the brain tissue; the circular cerebellum, center left, in red, and the elongated brainstem, center, in red, are also prominently visible.
Computerized tomography (CT)	A structural brain imaging method that uses X-rays to produce two-dimensional images.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)	A structural brain imaging method that uses the magnetic properties of brain tissue to produce two or three dimensional images.
Positron emission tomography (PET)	A functional brain imagining method that uses the brain’s metabolism of substances containing radioactive isotopes to produce ongoing brain images.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)	A functional brain imaging method that uses the brain’s natural metabolism of oxygen to produce ongoing brain images.
Electro-encephalography	A method of measuring overall brain electrical activity using electrodes placed on the scalp.
Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG)	A method of assessing brain activity that uses a large array of electrodes in a skull cap to measure and localize minute electrical reactions to areas of the brain.