To use the ECT method is to inject radioactive atoms into the person's bloodstream and have them circulated into the brain. The energy emitted is monitored by external devices that provide information about their concentration in the brain. Lastly, a mathematical model allows the data on radiation to be translated into information about brain processes.
This method allows researchers to analyze one's physiological process in ways other forms of brain imaging cannot, and more.

Using Emission Computed Tomography

The fMRI employs a magnetic field to collect information about the body. It is one of the most prominent methods in neuroscience for studying the structure of the brain, including differences in the structural characteristics of different people's brains.
It works with a system that produces images of the brain's functions that indicates whether the activity of neurons is increased or decreased in specific parts of the brain and under which conditions.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) And How It Works

<ul>
<li>The EEG is used to measure the electrical activities of the brain. The process is non-invasive and is done through the scalp with flat metal electrodes.</li>
<li>Though due to its non-invasiveness what it shows is relatively limited, but regardless it is a valuable tool for analyzing brain dynamics over time.</li>
<li>It helps indicate one's mental processes, mental state, and assists in diagnosing conditions like epilepsy or sleep disorder.</li>
</ul>

Electroencephalography (EEG)

<ul>
<li>The BOLD signal stands for blood-oxygen-level dependent. This is a brain imaging signal that shows whether the level of oxygen in the parts of the brain increasing or decreasing.</li>
<li>The fMRI is used to explore how brains function with different psychiatric order, it helps identify the connectivity of high or low activity for people with particular conditions, it investigates parts of the brain that supports social processes, and it illuminates the existence of networks of connecting brain areas.</li>
</ul>

More On The fMRI: BOLD Signal And Its Use In Neuroscience

The use of EEG allows further research on the following:
<ul>
<li>Memory processing during sleep</li>
<li>Mental illness</li>
<li>Providing further evidence in the differences in reward processing with those who suffer from mental illness</li>
</ul>
Moreover, the EEG has a mobile version "mobile EEG" that can study brain activities of real-world behaviors like kissing romantic partners.

The Use of EEG In Neuroscience

Emission Computed Tomography is the most invasive method for brain imaging. Its name comes from the emission of radioactive energy by tracers injected into the blood - which is a signature aspect of this approach to understanding the brain.
The two major types of ECT are:
<ul>
<li>Positron Emission Tomography (PET); and</li>
<li>Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)</li>
</ul>
Each of these uses different types of radioactive isotopes and they are monitored in the brain using different tools.

Emission Computed Tomography (ECT)

How do scientists peer into the brain to better understand what is happening, where, and why? By taking advantage of the brain’s electromagnetic properties or by sending radioactive markers into the body, neuroscientists use brain imaging technologies to create detailed pictures of neuronal activity and physiological processes. They can then analyze how the measurements of brain function vary across different situations—as people are prompted to behave, think, or feel in certain ways—or how they vary across individuals.