Discuss the use of brain imaging technologies to investigate the relationship between biological factors and behavior
Discuss the use of brain imaging technologies to investigate the relationship between biological factors and behavior.
Many early experiments on brain involved techniques that raise serious ethical concerns. For example, in order to study behavioral changes, psychologists practiced invasive methods such as removing or scarring brain tissues. However, with the great advent of brain imaging technologies, modern psychologists have been able to investigate the relationship between biological factors and behavior more effectively and ethically. Modern technology is now extensively used in neuropsychology because it provides an opportunity to study the active brain. Some of these technologies include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Positron Emission Topography (PET).
In a MRI scanner, a radio frequency transmitter is turned on and it produces an electromagnetic field. This gives detailed pictures of internal structures in the brain with electromagnetic waves detecting the oxygen usage in brain.
MRI effectively illustrates the behavior of memory. One example is a case study on Henry Molasion (HM) conducted by Corkin et al (1997). Corkin used an MRI to investigate the role of hippocampus on memory. HM’s case was first reported by William Scoville and Milner in 1957. HM suffered from epileptic seizures after he fell off from a bike at the age of seven. When he was 27, neurosurgeon William Scoville performed an experimental surgery, removing tissues from the medial temporal lobe including the hippocampus, with an aim to stop the seizures. This resulted in HM’s anterograde amnesia. He was unable to create new episodic and semantic memories. With an MRI scan, Corkin recognized that there was damage to the hippocampus, amygdala, and areas nearby. She investigated the effects of biological factors on behavior and built a correlation between certain brain areas and memory. This indicated that hippocampus plays a
Many early experiments on brain involved techniques that raise serious ethical concerns. For example, in order to study behavioral changes, psychologists practiced invasive methods such as removing or scarring brain tissues. However, with the great advent of brain imaging technologies, modern psychologists have been able to investigate the relationship between biological factors and behavior more effectively and ethically. Modern technology is now extensively used in neuropsychology because it provides an opportunity to study the active brain. Some of these technologies include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Positron Emission Topography (PET).
In a MRI scanner, a radio frequency transmitter is turned on and it produces an electromagnetic field. This gives detailed pictures of internal structures in the brain with electromagnetic waves detecting the oxygen usage in brain.
MRI effectively illustrates the behavior of memory. One example is a case study on Henry Molasion (HM) conducted by Corkin et al (1997). Corkin used an MRI to investigate the role of hippocampus on memory. HM’s case was first reported by William Scoville and Milner in 1957. HM suffered from epileptic seizures after he fell off from a bike at the age of seven. When he was 27, neurosurgeon William Scoville performed an experimental surgery, removing tissues from the medial temporal lobe including the hippocampus, with an aim to stop the seizures. This resulted in HM’s anterograde amnesia. He was unable to create new episodic and semantic memories. With an MRI scan, Corkin recognized that there was damage to the hippocampus, amygdala, and areas nearby. She investigated the effects of biological factors on behavior and built a correlation between certain brain areas and memory. This indicated that hippocampus plays a