Although his ability to speak is otherwise normal, a patient suffering from a stroke is having difficulty naming common everyday objects, such as tools. In order to determine which part of the brain is functioning abnormally, his doctor may use which of the following techniques?
A) Inject the patient with horseradish peroxidase and look at his brain during an autopsy.
B) Do a CT scan on the brain to see what area is not functioning.
C) Use fMRI to compare the activity of the brains of the patient and normal volunteers when they are presented with pictures of various tools.
D) During neurosurgery on the patient, stimulate his brain to see what part is not functioning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using fMRI to compare the activity of the patient's brain to that of normal volunteers when presented with pictures of various tools is the best choice for determining which specific part of the brain is not functioning properly. This technique allows the doctor to observe real-time brain activity and identify any differences or abnormalities in the patient's brain. The other options (autopsy, CT scan, and neurosurgery) are either not applicable or too invasive/dangerous in this scenario.

Although His Ability to Speak Is Otherwise Normal, a Patient