Describe and evaluate a brain-imaging method. A neurologist is deciding whether to use fMRI to investigate which brain areas are active while a violinist li...
Question 1 Report
Describe and evaluate a brain-imaging method. A neurologist is deciding whether to use fMRI to investigate which brain areas are active while a violinist listens to familiar music.
(a) Outline how fMRI produces information about brain activity. [3]
(b) Explain one strength of using fMRI in this study. [2]
(c) Explain one weakness of using fMRI in this study. [2]
Answer Details
(a) fMRI measures changes in blood oxygenation / blood flow [1]. Active brain areas require more oxygen [1]. The scanner identifies where these changes occur to make a brain-activity image [1]. (b) It has good spatial resolution [1], so the neurologist can identify the particular brain areas active while music is heard [1]. (c) It shows correlation rather than direct cause [1], so activation does not prove that an area alone produces music memory / perception [1].
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