New News Biology #35

The Brain (Part 2)

Methods for Studying the Brain (the first two methods are pretty invasive):

Study people with brain damage or injuries: the part of the brain damaged and the loss of a particular function can be used to reason that that part of the brain is responsible for that function.

Use electricity to stimulate parts of the brain, then look for reactions: an electrode is put on the surface of the brain, and then a pulse of electricity is sent through. The reaction (e.g. muscle contraction) is the corresponding function of that area of the brain.

Scanning the brain:

MRI (magnetic fields)

PET (radioactive chemicals)

CT (X-rays)

Why is treating the brain so difficult?:

There are a whole range of possible problems:

Tumors

Trauma

Mental health problems

Infection

Surrounding brain tissue is fragile + brain is complex structure = physically performing surgery to fix it isn’t easy