Module 1.4a - The Brain and Neuroplasticity

Researchers wanted to determine the brain waves present when individuals were sleeping. They placed electrodes on the scalps of 100 volunteers, and then asked the volunteers to sleep in the laboratory each night for one week. The researchers obtained recordings of the electrical activity across the volunteers’ brain surfaces. Which of the following represents the operational definition of the dependent variable in this study?

• MRI readings

• CT readings

• MEG readings

• EEG readings

Dr. Ultrone uses a technique to measure glucose consumption as an indicator of brain activity. What is the name of this technique?

• MRI

• fMRI

• PET

• EEG

Zoey did a report on the brain’s ability to change in response to both experience and damage. What was her report about?

• Neurostimulation

• Neuroplasticity

• Neurobiology

• Neuropsychology

When Amita is in a car accident, her neurologist, Dr. Lang, suspects she has sustained an injury to the back of her brain. “Can you check with an EEG?” asks Amita’s brother. Dr. Lang explains that an EEG is not the best method for assessing this injury, because

a.

b. c.

• an EEG only provides images of how the brain consumes glucose.

• an EEG only provides images of brain-wave activity.

• an EEG only provides still images of the brain.

• an EEG only provides stimulation to one region of the brain.

Dr. Translucent measures the brain’s electrical activity via magnetic fields, using a(n)

• CT.

• EEG.

• MEG.

• PET.

Dr. Ludwikowski was interested in studying effects of stress on the brain. She randomly assigned 10 middle-aged participants to experience stress by placing them in a room with a loud, unpleasant noise. The other 10 middle-aged participants were placed in a room with no noise. She then used an fMRI to compare participants’ brain activity.

In this study, what was Dr. Ludwikowski’s operational definition of her dependent variable?

• fMRI results

• Noise

• Stress

• Age

Dr. Ludwikowski was interested in studying effects of stress on the brain. She randomly assigned 10 middle-aged participants to experience stress by placing them in a room with a loud, unpleasant noise. The other 10 middle-aged participants were placed in a room with no noise. She then used an fMRI to compare participants’ brain activity.

In Dr. Ludwikowski’s study, the participants in the room with no noise served as the

• independent variables.

• confederates.

• control group.

• placebo group.

Categorize the following based on functional or structural neuroplastciity

Groups:

(a) Functional Plasticity

,

(b) Structural Plasticity

• Language learning increases gray matter in language areas

• Piano practice enlarges the corpus callosum over time.

• Meditation increases cortical thickness in emotion regulation areas.

• Phantom limb pain shows repurposed sensory cortex after amputation.

• Stroke recovery leads to new neural pathways for hand movement.