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Created with Fabric.js 1.4.5 How Do Scientists Measure Brain Activity? PET Scans double click to change this header text! Doctors inject a chemical,usually a glucose analoginto the patient's blood.The patient must then waitfor 1 hour while Doctors have no way of directly measuring whether or not a person is conscious.PET, EEG, and fMRI each estimate amounts of brain activity by measuringchemicals, blood-flow, or electricity in the brain. Doctors use this data to predicthow active a patient's brain actually is. The glucose analog goes into parts of the brain thatis using glucose. The patient is placed intothe PET scanner. The scanneris able to measure the tracerbecause it emits energy asit breaks down. The machine creates a 3Dimage of the brain, showingwhich areas used the mostglucose. Doctors believe thatthe areas that use the most glucose are the most active. EEG Recordings Using a conductive substance, doctors stick electrodes allover a patient's scalp. When brain cells talk to each other, they send out electrical signals which are measured by the electrodes The EEG records the activity all over your brain and interprets thelarge rhythm of your brain's electrical activity in waves. Different sizes and wavelengths correspond to different types of activity like sleeping or concentrating. f MRI scans The patient is put inside a large tube scanner that has an electrical field that is 50,000 times stronger thanEarth's The strong magnetic field forceshydrogen atoms in the patient'sbrain to line up. When they areall lined up, they emit a small but measurable magnetic signal. When an area of the brainis active, bloodflow andoxygen increase in that area.This change shows up as a slightly higher magnetic signal.The machine creates picturesof the brain that shows whencertain areas had increased bloodflow.
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