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Methods of studying the brain: A brief history

Methods of studying the brain: A brief history. First… a few more basic facts about your brain!. Approximately 3 lbs.; slightly larger than size of an adult fist 2% of total body weight; burns 70% of your body ’ s glucose 100 billion+ neurons; trillions of synapses

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Methods of studying the brain: A brief history

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  1. Methods of studying the brain: A brief history

  2. First… a few more basic facts about your brain! • Approximately 3 lbs.; slightly larger than size of an adult fist • 2% of total body weight; burns 70% of your body’s glucose • 100 billion+ neurons; trillions of synapses • Biochemical signals travel at 220 mph • Half of the 30,000 genes are dedicated to the nervous system • The brain itself feels no pain, but registers it from everywhere else

  3. Early 1800s • Phrenology: measuring the bumps on peoples’ heads • They were wrong about bumps; right about the brain having localized functions! • http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/phrenology/phrenology_frames.html

  4. 1848: Phineas Gage http://youtu.be/9QXI_BxlY7M

  5. 1930s: Prefrontal lobotomies • Dr. Walter Freeman: surgical disconnection of the frontal lobes from the thalamus with an icepick • Eliminated severe behavioral problems; also took away emotions, problem solving, thinking • By 1949, 5,000 done annually • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/lobotomist/ • http://youtu.be/_0aNILW6ILk

  6. 1950s: Electrical Stimulation of the Brain 1954: James Olds and Peter Milner placed an electrode in the hypothalamus of the brains of rats by mistake and discovered the pleasure center of the brain • When the rats learned that they could control the electrical stimulation by pressing a lever, they pressed it 7,000 times an hour (endorphins).   • http://accidentalmind.org/the_discovery_of_brain_plea.html • 1969: Jose Delgado’s “matador” experiment: stimoceiver • http://wireheading.com/matador.html

  7. Selective lesioning • Selectively damaging parts of the brain using electrical instrument • Only used in animals… obviously. • Rat hypothalamus study • Accidents and brain damage are often studied in human beings.

  8. And now… For modern technology!

  9. Electroencephalogram (EEG)

  10. Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT)

  11. Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

  12. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

  13. fMRI Scans

  14. What love looks like in an fMRI Scan!

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