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Techniques for Studying the Brain

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Submitted By corc3
Words 545
Pages 3
Cory Bertelsen
10.1.2012
Psychology 100
Scott Cohn

One of the methods for studying the brain is called EEG. EEG stands for Electroencephalogram and it is a test that measures and records the electrical activity of your brain. Special sensors are attached to your head and hooked by wires to a computer. While the test is in progress, the computer records your brain’s electrical activity, and the results will either be posted on a screen or on paper. You might be wondering why someone would get an EEG. Some reasons are epilepsy, dementia, sleep disorders, and to help find out if a person has a physical problem. The good news is that the test isn't painful and you don't have to remove any hair from your scalp. The bad news is that the adhesive used to attach the electrodes to your scalp will take a day or two to scrub out. An EEG may be done in a hospital or by doctor’s office by an EEG technologist.
Another method for studying the brain is called an MRI. The abbreviation MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging. Its a test that uses a magnetic field to pulse radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body. MRI’s can show problems that cannot be seen with other imaging methods such as, X-ray, ultrasound, or computed tomography. Magnetic resonance imaging is used for several reasons. Its used to find problems such as tumors, bleeding, injury, blood vessel diseases, or infection. This test can be done by an MRI technologist, yet the pictures are usually interpreted by a radiologist. Some of the pros of having an MRI done are: 3D images with high resolution, excellent soft tissue contrast, and it’s safe and painless for patients. Some of the cons are: scanning takes a long time, some patients might get claustrophobic, and patients with metallic devices cannot be tested.
Positron emission tomography, or PET is a test that uses a special type of camera and tracer. The tracer is a special substance, such as glucose, that collects in cells that are using a lot of energy. While a patient is in a test, the tracer liquid is put into a vein in your arm. Then, the tracer flows throughout your body and is collected in specific organs and tissues, so can tracers give off tiny positive charged particles (positrons.) Then a camera records the positrons and turns the recording into pictures on the computer. Some reasons why PET scans are done are to study the brains blood flow, metabolic activity, changes in the brain due to epilepsy, evaluate cancers, and to find damaged heart tissues. One big benefit of having a PET scan done is that PET imaging is unique and it shows chemical functioning of organs and tissues, while other imaging techniques, such as X-ray, CT, MRI show structure. Some cons of having a PET scan are that its expensive, uncommon, poor resolution, and the scans use ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation includes cosmic, alpha, beta, gamma, and X-rays, so you’d really want to put some thought into getting this procedure done.

References
Urbach, H. (2008). MRI of long-term epilepsy-associated tumors. Seminars in ultrasound, CT and MRI, 29(1)40-46.

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