View
1
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
1
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
BrainPower:Grades6-9
LastUpdatedJune2007https://www.drugabuse.gov
2
TableofContents
BrainPower:Grades6-9
AnIntroductiontotheBrainandNervousSystem(Module1)
LegalDoesn'tMeanHarmless(Module2)
DrugsintheCupboard(Module3)
WeedingOuttheGrass(Module4)
DrugsontheStreet(Module5)
DrugsintheNews(Module6)
Materials/Contact
3
AnIntroductiontotheBrainandNervousSystem(Module1)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthefollowinglink:Module1(PDF,796KB)
Summary
ThisintroductorymoduleoftheBrainPower!ChallengeProgramisdesignedtohelpstudentslearnaboutthepartsofthebrain,thefunctionsoftheseparts,andhowthebraincommunicateswiththerestofthebody.Theprocessofneurotransmissionisdescribedindetail.Thismoduleprovidesakeyfoundationforthenextfivemodules,whichwilldiscusstheimpactofspecificdrugsonthebodyandthebrain.
StudentswillrefertotheinformationcoveredinthisintroductorymodulethroughouttheentireBrainPower!curriculum.IfthestudentsdidnotparticipateintheBrainPower!TheNIDAJuniorScientistsProgramforgradesK-5,theinformationinthismodulemayneedtobecoveredingreaterdepth.
LearningObjectives
Attheendofthismodule:
Studentscannamethemainpartsofthebrain:thecerebralcortex,hypothalamus,cerebellum,brainstem,andlimbicsystem.
Studentscanidentifythelobesofthecerebralcortex:frontal,parietal,occipital,andtemporal.
Studentscanexplainthefunctionsofthemajorbrainparts.
Studentscanidentifythecomponentsofaneuron:cellbody,dendrites,andaxon.
4
Studentscanexplaintheprocessofneurotransmission.
RelationshiptotheNationalScienceEducationStandards
Thelessoninmodule1alignswithtwostandardsintheNSES:systems,order,andorganization;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelowshowshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.
UnifyingConceptsandProcesses
HowtheLessonisAligned
Systems,orderandorganization
Thestudentsdevelopanunderstandingofwhatdrugsareandhowtheyareusedsothattheycanlearnhowtomakedecisionsthataffecttheirhealth.
LifeScience HowtheLessonisAligned
Structureandfunctioninlivingsystems
Studentswilllearnhowneuronsinthebrainworktogethertocommunicatethroughaprocesscalledneurotransmission.
Background
MajorPartsoftheBrain
CerebralCortex
Thecerebralcortexisthelargestpartofthehumanbrain,makingupmorethan75percentofthisorgan.Thecerebralcortexisalsothemosthighlydevelopedpartofthebrain.Itcontrolsthinking,perception,andunderstandinglanguage.
5
Thecerebralcortexisdividedintotwohemispheres-therighthemisphereandthelefthemisphere.
Therighthemispherecontrolstheleftsideofthebodyandislargelyresponsibleforartisticexpressionandforunderstandingrelationshipsinspace-taskssuchasreadingamap.
Thelefthemispherecontrolstherightsideofthebody.Itislargelyresponsibleformathematicalability,problemsolving,andcomparinginformationneededtomakedecisions.Itisalsothebrain'slanguagecenter.
Thetwohemispherescommunicatewithoneanotherthroughabundleoffiberscalledthecorpuscallosum.Thecorpuscallosumisthebridgebetweenthetwohemispheres.
Thecortexisspecialized.Fourspecificareasofthecortex,calledlobes,areresponsiblefordifferenttasks:
Thefrontallobeisresponsibleforinitiatingandcoordinatingmotormovementsandhighercognitiveskills,suchasproblemsolvingandthinking.
Theparietallobeprocessessensoryinformationfromthewholebody-forexample,informationaboutpain,touch,andpressure.
Theoccipitallobeprocessesvisualinformationcomingintothebrain.
Thetemporallobeisinchargeofmakingsenseoftheauditoryinformationfromtheenvironment.
6
Hypothalamus
Thehypothalamusissituateddeepinsidethecenterofthebrain.Thehypothalamuslinksthenervoussystemtotheendocrinesystembyproducingandreleasinghormones.Theendocrinesystemismadeupofglandsthatregulate,coordinate,andcontrolhormones.Thehypothalamusregulatesbodytemperature,hunger,andthirst.
Cerebellum
Thecerebellumislocatedatthebackoftheheadnearthespine.Itcontrolsposture,movement,andthesenseofbalance.Playingball,pickingupobjects,andplayingmusicalinstrumentsareamongtheactivitiesthatfallunderthecontrolofthecerebellum.
BrainStem
Thebrainstem,themostprimitivepartofthebrain,connectsthebraintothe
7
spinalcord.Itislocatednearthecerebellum.Thetwomainpartsofthebrainstemaretheponsandthemedulla.Theponscontainsnervefibersthatconnectthecerebralcortexwiththecerebellumandthespinalcord.Theponscontrolssleep,awakening,anddreamonset.Themedullacontrolsheartrate,respiration,andbloodpressure.Thebrainstemalsocontrolssimplereflexes,suchascoughingandsneezing.
LimbicSystem
Thelimbicsystemislocateddeepinsidethebrain.Ithasmanyparts,buttwoofthemostimportantarethehippocampusandtheamygdala.Thehippocampusismainlyresponsibleforlearningandmemory.Theamygdalaplaysanimportantroleinemotionalbehavior.Thelimbicsystemisgreatlyaffectedbysubstancessuchasnicotine,alcohol,andillegaldrugs.
Neurons
Informationisconstantlyexchangedbetweenthebrainandotherpartsofthebodybybothelectricalandchemicalimpulses.Cellscalledneuronsareresponsibleforcarryingthisinformation.Allofthemajorbrainpartsdiscussed
8
abovearecomposedofneurons-almost100billionneuronstotal!
Aneuronhasthreemainparts.Thecellbodydirectsalltheneuron'sactivities.Dendrites,shortbranchesthatextendoutfromthecellbody,receivemessagesfromotherneuronsandpassthemontothecellbody.Anaxonisalongfiberthattransmitsmessagesfromthecellbodytothedendritesofotherneuronsortoothertissuesinthebody,suchasmuscles.Aprotectivecovering,calledthemyelinsheath,coverstheaxonsofmanyneurons.Myelininsulatestheaxonsandhelpsmessagesfromnervesignalstravelfaster,farther,andmoreefficiently.
Neurotransmission
Theexchangeofinformationbetweentheaxonofoneneuronandthedendritesofanotherneuroniscalledneurotransmission.Neurotransmissiontakesplacethroughthereleaseofchemicalsintothespacebetweentheaxonofthefirstneuronandthedendritesofthesecondneuron.Thesechemicalsarecalledneurotransmitters.Thespacebetweentheaxonandthedendriteiscalledasynapse.
9
Whenneuronscommunicate,anelectricalimpulsetravelingdowntheaxoncausesneurotransmitterstobereleasedfromtheendoftheaxonintothesynapse.Theneurotransmitterscrossthesynapseandbindtospecialmolecules,calledreceptors,onthedendriteofthesecondneuron.Receptorsarefoundonthedendritesandcellbodiesofallneurons.Thereceptorsconverttheinformationintochemicalorelectricalsignalswhicharethentransmittedtothecellbodyandeventuallytotheaxon.Theaxonthencarriesthesignaltoanotherneuronortobodytissuessuchasmuscles.
Onceaneurotransmitterbindstoareceptor,aseriesofeventsfollow.First,themessagecarriedbytheneurotransmitterispassedontothereceivingneuron.Second,theneurotransmitterisinactivated.Itiseitherbrokendownbyanenzymeorreabsorbedbytheaxonfromwhichitwasreleased.Othermolecules,calledtransportermolecules,completethisreabsorptionprocess.Thesemoleculesarelocatedinthecellmembranesoftheaxonthatreleasestheneurotransmitters.Theypickupspecificneurotransmittersfromthesynapseandcarrythembackacrossthecellmembraneandintotheaxon,wheretheyarerecycledforuseatalatertime.Notethatthisprocessistrueformostneurotransmitters,butnotforallofthem.
10
Thehumanbodyproducesmanydifferenttypesofneurotransmitters.Eachneurotransmitterhasaspecificroletoplayinthefunctioningofthebrain.Aneurotransmitterbindstoareceptorinmuchthesamewaythatakeyfitsintoalock;aspecificneurotransmitterwillbindonlytoitscorrespondingreceptor.
Neurotransmittermessagescanbegeneralizedaseitherexcitatoryorinhibitorymessages.Anexcitatoryneurotransmitterisonethatincreasestheactivityofneurons,andaninhibitoryneurotransmitterdecreasestheactivityofneurons.Overthecourseofthesemodules,severalspecificneurotransmitterswillbediscussed,includingacetylcholine,GABA,anddopamine.
Neurotransmitter BrainFunction
Acetylcholine(excitatory)
Playsanimportantroleinthefunctionofthehippocampus,whichisinchargeoflearningandmemory.
GABA(inhibitory)
Aneurotransmitterinthecerebralcortex,whichcontrolsthinking,perceiving,andunderstandinglanguage.
Dopamine(excitatory)
Playsanimportantroleinreinforcingrewardingbehaviors.
Preparation/Introduction
Preparation
ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationaboutthebrainandneurotransmission.
ProvidestudentswiththeModule1magazineTheBrainandNervousSystemforbackgroundknowledge.
Determinewhichactivitiesyouwanttheclasstocomplete.
Arrangeforcomputerlabtimeorpreparetheclassroomcomputerfor
11
students'InternetandCD-ROMuse.
PhotocopyandpassouttheBrainPartsFactSheetandtheNeurotransmissionFactSheetforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.
Preparetransparenciesandphotocopiesforthelesson.
Introduction
Time:15-20minutes
Supplies:Transparenciesofdiagramsifneeded
Handouts:Module1magazine(PDF,10.4MB)
BrainPartsFactSheet(PDF,668KB)(Page6inthepdf)
Reading:Beginbygivingstudentsadequatetimetoreadthestudentmagazine.Havestudentspayparticularattentiontothefollowingsections:Background,StatsandFacts,andScienceintheSpotlight.
Discussion:Afterstudentshavereadthemagazine,facilitateadiscussionaboutthebrainusingthefollowingquestions.Ifnecessary,reviewthisinformationwithyourstudents,usingthediagramsprovided.
ThePartsoftheBrain
Whatdoesthebraindo?
Whatarethefourlobesofthebrain?
Whatarethefunctionsoftherightandlefthemispheres?
Whatdoesthelimbicsystemcontrol?
12
Whatarethreefunctionsofthebrainstem?
Neurotransmission
Whatarethethreemainpartsofaneuron?
Approximatelyhowmanyneuronsareinthebrain?
Whatarethestepsofneurotransmission?
Whatarethedefinitionsofneurotransmitters,synapse,andreceptors?
Activities
Activity1:BrainMessages
Time:45minutes
Supplies:Onelargepieceofbutcher-blockpaperpergroup
Markers/crayons/pencils
Handouts:NeurotransmissionFactSheet(PDF,668KB)
Thisisthefirstactivityinaseriesofsix.TheseactivitiesareallpartoftheBrainPower!Challengecompetition.Beforeyoubegin,gooverthecompetitiondetailsthatarefoundonpageviiofthisguide.
Part1
GiveeachgrouptheNeurotransmissionFactSheet.Makesurestudentsunderstandtheroleofthebrainandneuronsintransmittingmessagesthroughoutthebody.
13
Giveeachgroupalargesheetofbutcher-blockpaper,pencils,andmarkers.Telleachgrouptodrawthestepsinvolvedinneurotransmission.Studentsshouldbeabletodescribethepartsofaneuron,howinformationexchangetakesplace,andhowinformationissentthroughoutthebody.Theyshouldincludeashortwrittenexplanationofhowtheprocessworks.
Part2
Havegroupstaketurnsshowingthestepsofneurotransmission.Encouragestudentstoaskquestionsinadiscussionformatinbetweenthepresentations.
Basedontheclarity,information,andcreativityinthegroups'presentations,youwillgiveeachgroupascorefrom0-10.ThesescoresneedtoberecordedontheGroupScorecard,aseachChallengeactivityfortheBrainPower!modulesinvolvesasimilarscoringsystem.Attheendofallthemodules,theteamwiththemostpointswinstheBrainPower!Challengecompetition.
Activity2:ScavengerHunt
Time:45minutes
Supplies:Timer,ifneeded
Penorpencil
Handouts:NeurotransmissionScavengerHunt(PDF,668KB)(Page4inthepdf)
Inthisactivity,studentswilllearnaboutneurotransmissionbyusingtheInternet.HavestudentsworktogetheringroupstocompleteanInternetscavengerhunt.
Ideasformakingthisactivitymoresuitableforabiggerclass:Iftherearenot
14
enoughcomputersforallgroups,sendgroupsoneatatimewhiletherestoftheclasscompletesotheractivities.Useatimertorecordeachgroup'scompletiontime.
Studentsshouldtrytofindtheanswersasquicklyaspossible.YoucanusetheprovidedScavengerHunthandoutordeveloponeofyourown.ThefollowingWebsitecontainsalltheinformationstudentsneedtocompletethescavengerhunt:
Priortothisactivity,addtheInternetresourcelistedbelowtothecomputer'sInternet"Favorites"drop-downmenu.faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Room1(OnlineVersion)*
Includesgamesandmaterialstosupplementtheinformationpresentedinthemodule.Theroomlabeled"1"containsthefollowingactivitiesandspecificinformationpertainingtothismodule:
LearningObjectives:thesearepresentedatthebeginningofeachCD-ROMmodule
PartsoftheBrain:ashortfilmaboutbrainparts
CerebralCortex:ashortfilmaboutthecerebralcortex
HemisphereQuiz:apersonalquizstudentscantaketodeterminetheirown"dominanthemisphere"
HarryHumanSuperguy:aninteractivequizandcartoonaboutbrainpartsandfunctions
NT101:AnIntroductiontoNeurotransmission:thisactivitydetailstheprocessofneurotransmissionstep-by-step
ModuleQuiz:thisquizisthefinalpartofthemodule,intendedtoassessstudents'learning
15
*AdobeFlashplayerrequiredtoview.
Extensions
1. DividethestudentsintopairsandgiveeachacopyoftheBrainPartsFactSheet.Assigneachpairapartofthebrainandhavethemdrawtheirownoriginalcartooncharacterorsuperherothatrepresentsthisbrainpart.Forexample,studentsassignedtheoccipitallobemightdrawacharacterwithverylargeeyes,andstudentsassignedthecerebellummightdrawtheircharacterplayingfootballordancingballet.Afterdrawingthecartoon,eachpairshouldthinkofafunnamefortheircharacterandthenintroducehimorhertotheclass.
2. Havestudentsdeveloptimelineschartingthemajorfindingsandbreakthroughsinbrainresearch.Dividethestudentsintosmallgroupsandhaveeachgroupfocusonaspecifictimeframe(e.g.,0-1700AD,1700-1900,1900-present).Encouragestudentstohighlightkeymilestonesontheirtimelines.ThefollowingWebsiteisagoodstartingpoint:http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/hist.html
3. Havestudentscreateaplanforaboardgametoshowtheprocessofneurotransmission.Makesuretheycoverallthemajorpartsoftheprocess.Youcanpresenttheactivitywiththefollowingframeworktobuildmotivation.
Theobjectofthegameisfortheneurotransmittertoreachthereceptorsacrossthesynapse.Whatkindofobstacleswouldtheneurotransmitterfaceinyourgame?Whatpieceswouldtheneuronneedtocollectbeforeitcansendthemessage?Whatwouldtheboardlooklike?
Havestudentscreateavisualpresentationfortheirgames.Inthisactivity,youarethepresidentofaboardgamecompanylookingtomakeandsellthebestneurotransmissiongame.Judgethepresentationsbasedoncreativityandscientificaccuracy.
16
Assessment
Asstudentscompletetheactivitiesinthemodule,observewhethertheyhavemasteredthefollowing:
1. Dostudentsknowthemainpartsofthebrainandthemajorfunctionsofeachpart?
2. Dostudentsknowthemainpartsofaneuron?Cantheyexplainthefunctionoftheneurotransmitters?
3. Canstudentsexplainneurotransmission?Dotheyhaveaclearunderstandingthatthisistheprocessthroughwhichmessagesaresentthroughoutthebrainandbody?
4. Dostudentsunderstandtheimportanceofthebrainanditsmanyfunctions?
5. Didstudentsparticipateintheclassactivitiesanddiscussion?Didtheyengageinthetopics?
Resources
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)301-443-1124ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseaswellassectionsdesignedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubsResearchDisseminationCenter877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644;TTY/TDD:240-645-0228)OrderourmaterialsfreeofchargeinEnglishorSpanish.
TheAmazingBrain.Ornstein,R.,&Thompson,R.F.Boston:HoughtonMifflinCompany,1991.Thisuniquelyillustrated,comprehensivepresentationofthenumerousand
17
complexfunctionsofthebrainisanidealsourceforhealtheducatorsandolderstudents.
BrainBasics:KnowYourBrainProvidesanexcellentoverviewofthearchitectureandfunctionsofthebrain.
ResourcesforStudents
NeuroscienceforKidsUsefulforbothadultsandchildren,thisWebsitecontainsinformationonthebrainandneurotransmission,activities,experiments,pictures,andotherresources.
ThePhysicalBrain.Byrnie,F.Woodbridge,CT:BlackbirchPress,Inc.,2001.Thisbook,partofTheAmazingBrainseries,usesavarietyofillustrationsandpicturestodescribethedevelopment,functions,andspecializationsofthebrain.Thebookalsocontainsanoverviewofneurotransmission.
TheGreatBrainBook:AnInsideLookattheInsideofYourHead.Newquist,H.P.NewYork:ScholasticReference,2005.TheGreatBrainBookusesmedicalillustrations,cartoonillustrations,andinterestingphotographstotellthecompletestoryofthebrain,fromthehistoryofthebraintothefutureofbrainscience.
18
LegalDoesn'tMeanHarmless(Module2)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthefollowinglink:Module2(PDF,764KB)
Summary
Thismodulefocusesonhowtwodrugs,nicotineandalcohol,changethefunctioningofthebrainandbody.Bothdrugsarewidelyusedinthecommunity,andforadults,usingthemislegal.Nonetheless,bothalcoholandnicotinecanhaveastrongimpactonthefunctioningofthebrain.Eachcancauseanumberofnegativeeffectsonthebodyandbrain,rangingfrommildsymptomstoaddiction.
Thegoalofthismoduleistohelpstudentsunderstandthat,althoughnicotineandalcoholarelegalforadults,theyarenotharmlesssubstances.Studentswilllearnabouthownicotineandalcoholchangeordisrupttheprocessofneurotransmission.Studentswillexploreinformationontheshort-andlong-termeffectsofthesetwodrugs,andalsolearnwhythesedrugsareillegalforchildrenandteens.
Throughthemedia,studentsareexposedtoagreatdealofinformationaboutalcoholandtobacco,muchofwhichismisleadingorscientificallyinaccurate.Thismodulewillprovideinformationonwhatresearchershavelearnedabouthownicotineandalcoholchangethebrain,andtheresultingimplicationsforsafetyandhealth.
LearningObjectives
Attheendofthismodule:
Studentscanexplainhownicotinedisruptsneurotransmission.
19
Studentscanexplainhowalcoholusemayharmthebrainandthebody.
Studentsunderstandhowalcoholcanintensifytheeffectofotherdrugs.
Studentscandefineaddictionandunderstanditsbasisinthebrain.
Studentsdrawconclusionsaboutwhyoursocietyregulatestheuseofnicotineandalcoholforyoungpeople.
RelationshiptotheNationalScienceEducationStandards
ThislessonalignswiththreestandardsintheNSES:risksandbenefits;personalhealth;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelowshowshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.
ScienceinPersonal&SocialPerspectives
HowtheLessonisAligned
RisksandbenefitsPersonalhealth
Studentslearnabouttheshort-andlong-termeffectsofnicotineandalcohol.Thesedrugscanchangehowthebodyandbrainfunctionandcanleadtoaddiction.Studentscanusethisinformationinmakingdecisionsthataffecttheirownhealth.
LifeScience
HowtheLessonisAligned
Structureandfunctioninlivingsystems
Studentswilllearnhownicotineandalcoholactinspecificpartsofthebraintoalterthefunctioningofneurons.Theywilllearnthatthesedrugsultimatelyaffecttheentirebrainandbody.
20
Background
Nicotine
Nicotineisastimulantdrugfoundincigarettes,cigars,pipetobacco,andsmokelesstobacco.Nicotineishighlyaddictive;infact,itisasaddictiveasheroinandcocaine.Nicotinereachesthebrainwithin8secondsofinhalation.Itseffectsonthebodyincludeincreasedheartrateandbloodpressure,increasedalertness,andreducedappetite.
Althoughnicotineisanaddictivesubstance,itisactuallythetobaccoinnicotineproductsthatcancausedeadlycancers.Smokingandchewingtobaccocancausecancerofthelungs,throat,andmouth.
NicotineandNeurotransmitters
Nicotinedisruptsthenormalrelationshipbetweentheneurotransmitteracetylcholineandthereceptorsacetylcholinebindsto.Thesechangesinthebrain,detailedherewithdiagrams,canleadtoaddiction.
Normalacetylcholineandreceptors
21
Nicotineaffectstheneurotransmitteracetylcholineanditsreceptor.Thisreceptorislocatedinmanybrainstructuresandbodyorgans.Itcarriesmessagesrelatedtorespiration,heartrate,memory,alertness,andmusclemovement.
Toomanychemicalsinthesynapse
Becausenicotineisshapedsimilarlytoacetylcholine,itcanfitinthesamereceptorsandactjustlikeacetylcholine.Afterrepeateduseofnicotine,thereismoreactivityattheacetylcholinereceptorsthanusualbecausethereceptorsarebeingactivatedbybothacetylcholineandnicotine.
Lessacetylcholineandfewerreceptors
22
Thischangeinbalancecausesthebrainto“think”thereistoomuchacetylcholineandreactbyreducingthenumberofreceptorsandreleasinglessacetylcholineintothesynapse.Thebrainnowneedsnicotinetomaintainnormalfunctioning.
Notenoughacetylcholineandreceptors
Thesechangesinthebraincauseanicotineusertofeelabnormalwhennotusingnicotine.Inordertofeelnormal,theuserhastokeephisorherbodysuppliedwithnicotine.Thisisaddiction.Ifthepersonstopsusingnicotine,thenumberofreceptorsandtheirsensitivitytoacetylcholinewilleventuallybereestablished,butonlyaftersometime.
Nicotinealsoactivatestherewardcircuitsthatarepartofthelimbicsystem,producingapleasurablefeeling,aswellascausingasurgeoftheneurotransmitterdopamineinthesecircuits,whichprodsthepersontowanttorepeatbehaviorsthatcausedpleasurebefore.Thiseffectondopamineispartofwhatmakesmanydrugslikenicotinesoaddictive.
23
Nicotineusealsocausesadecreaseinanenzymethatisresponsibleforbreakingdowndopamine.Thedecreaseinthisenzymeresultsinhigher-than-normaldopaminelevels.Becauseoftheseeffectsondopamine,smokershavepowerfullylearnedtoassociatethegoodfeelingsfromsmokingnotonlywithcigarettesthemselvesbutalsowiththingsthatremindthemofcigarettes(cues).
WithdrawalfromNicotineandNicotineReplacementTherapy
Withdrawalsymptomsaretheuncomfortablefeelingsadruguserexperiencesafterheorshehasstoppedtakingadrug.Apersonwhoistryingtostopusingnicotinemaybeshaky,havesleepingproblems,experienceincreasedappetite,andfeeluncomfortable,irritable,andlessalert.Theseunpleasantsymptomscanpreventmanysmokersfromquitting.
Nicotinereplacementtherapy,likethenicotinepatchandgum,hashelpedmanysmokersquit.Theseproductsgraduallyreducetheamountofnicotineinthebrainsothatthesmokerdoesnotexperiencethenegativeeffectsofasuddendropinnicotinelevels.Afterthebrainhasadjustedtonicotinereductionorloss,thewithdrawalsymptomscandiminishorgoaway.
24
Alcohol
Alcoholisfoundinbeer,wine,andhardliquorssuchasgin,vodka,andwhiskey.Itaffectsmanyareasofthebrainandcancausememoryloss,impairedmotorcoordination,impairedthinkingandproblemsolving,changesinemotionalbehavior,andevendeath.
AlcoholandBrainStructures
Alcoholaffectsthefrontalloberegionofthebrain,causingthinkingandproblem-solvingdifficulties.Motor-coordinationproblemsarecausedbyalcohol’seffectsonthecerebellum.Alcoholcancausememorylossbydamagingthehippocampus.Inlargedoses,alcoholcancauseaperson’shearttostopbeatingthroughitseffectsonthemedullaoblongataandthepons.
AlcoholandNeurotransmitters
Alcoholhasspecificeffectsoncertainreceptorsandneurotransmittersinthebrain.Researchershavefoundthatalcoholaffectsgammaaminobutyricacid
25
(GABA)receptorsandGABA,whichistheneurotransmitterthatbindstothem.GABAisaninhibitoryneurotransmitter;inotherwords,itdecreasestheactivityofneurons.MoreGABAmaycausedecreasedattention,memoryalterations,moodchanges,anddrowsiness.
Alcoholinterruptsthenormalfunctioningofotherneurotransmitters,andcanpreventtheneurotransmissionthatwouldnormallyinhibitsometypesofbehavior.Formany,thiseffectcausesincreasedsocialbehaviors(decreasedinhibition).Also,likemanyotherdrugsofabuse,alcoholincreasesdopaminerelease,whichreinforcesthealcoholdrinkingbehavior.
AlcoholWithdrawal
Afterlong-termuseofalcohol,thebrainmaytrytocompensatefortheinhibitoryneurotransmissionbyincreasingexcitatoryneurotransmission.Thisincreasestheactivityofotherneurons.Whenalcoholuseisstopped,theexcitatoryneurotransmissionisstillactive,whichcauseswithdrawalsymptomslikeshaking,sweating,nausea,andanxiety.
Long-TermDamagetotheBody
Wernicke-Korsakoff’sdisorderisadiseaseassociatedwithlong-termalcoholism.Becausealcoholdamagesthebrain,peoplewiththisconditioncannotformnewmemories.Theyalsohavedifficultieswithmusclecoordinationandmovement.
Long-termabuseofalcoholcanalsocauseapotentiallyfatalliverdiseasecalledcirrhosis.Theliver’sjobistoremovepoisons,germs,andbacteriafromthebloodandtohelpthebodyfunctionnormally.Becausealcoholisapoisontothebody,theliverworkstoremoveallalcoholthatisingested.Whenalcoholisrepeatedlyandexcessivelyused,theliverbecomesdamagedandthisdamagecanleadtocirrhosis.
26
AlcoholandOtherDrugs
Peoplewhoabusealcoholoftenabuseotherdrugsaswell.Infact,45percentofpatientsbeingtreatedforalcoholabusereportabuseofotherdrugs.Alcoholandcertaindrugsworkinthesameareasofthebrain.Combiningdrugswithalcoholcangreatlyintensifytheireffects,whichcanbeverydangeroustothebrainandbody.
AlcoholandChildren
Researchshowsthattheyoungerapersoniswhenheorshebeginstodrink,themorelikelyheorsheistodevelopalcoholproblemsandalcoholdependence.Drinkingatayoungerageisalsoassociatedwithahigherriskofalcohol-relatedtrafficcrashes,injuries,fatalities,andviolence.In1984,theUnitedStatesincreasedthelegaldrinkingagefrom18to21yearsofage.Thischangereducedyouthdrinkingandalcohol-relatedincidents.
Childrenshouldneverdrinkalcohol.Alcoholisverydangerousforyoungpeople.Thebraincontinuestodevelopuntilpeopleareintheirearlytwenties.Researchshowsthatintroducingalcoholduringthisdevelopmentalstagecanharmthegrowingsystemandaffectlearningandmemory,andincreaseriskofaddiction.
HealthBenefitsofModerateDrinkingforAdults
Researchshowsthatmoderateconsumptionofalcoholhassomebenefitsforadults.Forexample,moderatealcoholuseseemstolowertheriskofstrokeandheartdisease.Thismaybebecausealcoholhelpskeepbloodvesselsunclogged.“Moderatedrinking”isdefinedasoneortwodrinksperdayformenandonedrinkadayforwomenandpeopleovertheageof65.Womenandelderlypersonsofbothsexeshavelowerlevelsofwater,andtheyabsorbalcoholdifferentlythanyoungermendo;thus,asmalleramountofalcoholhasstrongereffects.
27
Preparation/Introduction
Preparation
ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationabouttheeffectsofnicotineandalcoholonthebrainandbody.
ProvidestudentswiththeModule2magazineLegalDoesn’tMeanHarmlessforbackgroundknowledge.
Determinewhichactivitiesyouwanttheclasstocomplete.
Arrangeforcomputerlabtimeorpreparetheclassroomcomputerforstudents’InternetandCD-ROMuse.
Photocopyandpassoutthe“NicotineandtheBrain”andthe“AlcoholandtheBrain”worksheetsforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.
Preparetransparenciesandphotocopiesforthelesson.
CutoutpuzzlepiecesforActivity1.
Introduction
Beforegivingstudentstimetoreviewthemagazine,beginwiththefollowingactivity.Workingasaclassorinsmallgroups,askstudentstogeneratealistofallthedrugsandmedicinestheycanthinkofin2minutes.Thenreviewstudents’listsandcircleallthedrugsthatarelegal.*Askstudentstoshareexamplesfromtheirlists.Providetheseimportantdefinitions:
Adrugisanysubstancethatchangesthewaythebodyorbrainfunctions.
Somedrugsarelegalforadultsbutillegalforchildrenandteens.Otherdrugs,suchascocaine,areillegalforeveryone.
Themostwidelyusedlegaldrugsforadultsarealcoholandnicotine,whichisfoundintobacco.
Tellstudentsthatthegoalofthislessonistolearnabouthownicotineand
28
alcoholchangethebrain.Legaldoesn’talwaysmeanharmless!
*Drugsyoubuyoverthecounteranddrugsprescribedbyadoctorarealsolegalandshouldbesafeandeffectivewhentakenaccordingtothedirections.However,theyareillegalwhenusedbysomeoneelseornotasprescribed.TheywillbecoveredinModule3,DrugsintheCupboard.
Time:15-20minutes
Supplies:Transparenciesofdiagrams,ifneeded
Handouts:Module2magazine(PDF,2MB)
Reading:Givestudentsadequatetimetoreadthestudentmagazine.Havestudentspayparticularattentiontothefollowingsections:Background,StatsandFacts,andScienceintheSpotlight.
Discussion:Afterstudentshavereadthemagazine,facilitateadiscussionaboutnicotineandalcoholbyusingthefollowingquestions.Ifnecessary,reviewthisinformationwithyourstudentsusingthediagramsprovided.
NicotineandAlcohol
Whatchangesinthebraincausenicotinewithdrawalsymptoms?
Howdoesalcoholaffectlearningandmemory?
Whatarepossibleconsequencesfromdrinkingalotofalcoholinashortperiodoftime?
Howdoesalcoholaffectthinking,planning,anddecision-making?
29
Activities
Activity1:PieceItTogether
Time:15minutes
Supplies:PhotocopiesofPuzzlePieces(cutoutpriortoactivity)
Module2magazine(PDF,2MB)
Handouts:Puzzlepieces,NicotineandtheBrainworksheet,andAlcoholandtheBrainworksheet(PDF,668KB)(SeeTableofContentsforcorrectpages)
Tellstudentsthatthisisthesecondactivityoftheircompetition.Thefirstgrouptocompletethetaskwinsfivepoints.Studentsshouldusethe“NicotineandtheBrain”and“AlcoholandtheBrain”handoutsfromthelectureandthemagazinecontenttohelpthemcompletethisactivity.
1. DividetheclassintotheirBrainPower!Challengegroupsandtellthegroupstomovenexttoeachotheraroundadesk.(Iftheclassislarge,itmightbebettertoworkonthefloor.)
2. GiveeachstudentacopyofthePuzzlePieceshandout.Thedefinitionsshouldbecutapartsoeachoneisonadifferentpieceofpaper.Thepuzzlepiecesaredesignedsothatthedefinitionsaregrayandthewordsarewhite.
3. Thepuzzlepiecesincludewordsanddefinitionsfromthemodule.Studentswillneedtoarrangethepiecessothatthecorrectdefinitionisnexttoeachword.
4. Theteamthatcompletesthistaskcorrectlyintheshortesttimewins.Recordthewinninggroup’spointsontheGroupScorecard.
30
Ideasformakingthisactivitymoresuitableforabiggerclass:Eachmemberoftheteamcouldcompletethepuzzleindividually,andtheteamwiththemostcorrectpuzzlesinthepredeterminedamountoftimecouldwinthefivepoints.
Activity2:UnderageDrinkingandtheMedia
Time:45minutes
Supplies:Timer,ifneeded
Penorpencil
Handouts:MediaReportCard(PDF,885KB)
Populartelevisionshowsandmoviesoftendepictunderagedrinking.Itisimportantforteenstothinkcriticallyaboutthemedia’sportrayalofalcoholuseandrecognizeboththeaccuraciesandinaccuracies.
Dividetheclassintogroupsof4to6students.Givestudentsabout10minutestolisttelevisionshowsandmoviesthatportrayunderagedrinkingusingtheMediaReportCardandassigneachexampleanaccuracygrade.StudentsshouldjustifyeachgradeinthecommentssectionoftheMediaReportCard.Haveeachgrouppresentitstwohighestandlowestgradedexamplesandexplainthereasoningbehindeachgradeassignment.
Tellstudentstoaskthefollowingquestionsastheydeterminegradesforeachtelevisionshowandmovie:
Howoftenisunderagedrinkingdepicted?
Whatisthetoneofthescene(s)inwhichunderagedrinkingisdepicted?Forexample,isthescenecomic,designedtoelicitlaughs?Ordoesittakeunderagedrinkingmoreseriously?
31
Aretheconsequencesofunderagedrinkingshown?
Howaretheeffectsofalcoholonthebrainandbodydepicted?
Room2(OnlineVersion)*
Includesgamesandmaterialstosupplementtheinformationpresentedinthemodule.Theroomlabeled“2”containsthefollowingactivitiesandspecificinformationpertainingtothismodule:
LearningObjectives:thesearepresentedatthebeginningofeachCD-ROMmodule
MeetAcetylcholine:anintroductiontotheacetylcholineneurotransmitter,andhownicotineusesthesamereceptors
NicotineKnockout:agameinwhichplayersmuststopnicotinefromgettingtothereceptors
ChalkboardFacts:thisisalistingoffactsabouthowalcoholaffectsadevelopingbrain
Inter-lobeLoop:aninteractivequizwherestudents“travel”throughthebrainandanswerquestionsabouthowalcoholaffectsdifferentbrainparts
ModuleQuiz:thisquizisthefinalpartofthemodule,intendedtoassessstudents’learning
*AdobeFlashplayerrequiredtoview.
Extensions
1. TheBrainPower!magazineprovidesatimelineofsomeofthemajoreventsinthehistoryofalcohol.Developasimilartimelinefortobacco.Thetimelineshouldtracepeople’sgrowingunderstandingoftheimpactoftobaccoonpublichealthintheUnitedStates,fromthefoundingofthecoloniestothepresentday.Whataresomecurrenttopicsinthenewsrelatedtotobacco,smoking,andnicotine?
32
2. TheBrainPower!magazineincludesacartoonthatillustrateshownicotineaffectsneurotransmittersinthebrain.Havestudentsdevelopacartoonthatshowstheeffectsofalcoholonthebrain.
3. Leadtheclassincompletingthefollowingexperimenttodemonstratetheharmfuleffectsofnicotineandalcohol.
Materials
4householdplantsofthesamekind
Alcohol
Paperandpencil
Marker
Coffee
Ruler
Water
2clearplasticcups
Cigarettes
Neverletchildrenhandlealcoholortobaccoproducts.
Conductingtheexperiment:
Whatwouldhappenifplantsdrankalcoholorcoffee,orsmokedcigarettes?Havestudentsthinkabouthowtheitemswillbeusedinthisexperimentandrecordtheirobservationsonhowtheplantslook.Ifyouhaveacamera,takepicturesoftheplantsbeforeyoubegintheexperiment.
Predict
Writedownstudentpredictionsabouthoweachplantwillreactoverthecourseof3weeksifeachisfedwithoneofthefollowingsubstances:water,coffee,
33
tobaccowater,oralcohol.
Experiment
1. Labeleachplantwiththesubstancewithwhichitwillbefed(Figure1).
2. Witharuler,measure1inchfromthebottomoftheclearplasticcupsanddrawaline.Tofeedtheplants,fillthecupsonlytothelinesothateachplantreceivesthesameamountoffood(Figure2).Onlyteachersshouldhandlethealcoholandtobacco.
3. Labeloneofthecups“Tobacco.”Thiscupwillbeusedforthetobaccowateronly.
4. Every3daysfor3weeks,dothefollowing:
34
a. Thenightbefore,fillthetobaccocuptothelinewithwater;removethepaperfromonecigarette,andputthetobaccointhecup.Letitsoakovernight.
b. Thenextday,placetheplantsonatable.
c. Measureeachplantatitshighestpoint(thetallestleaf)witharuler.Recordeachplant’sheightandappearance(color,overallhealth,andnumberandhealthofitsleaves).
d. Havestudentsrecordtheirobservations,anddrawapictureofeachplant.
e. Gatherthetobaccowater,freshwater,coffee,andalcohol.Makesuretheyareatroomtemperature.
f. Pourthetobaccowaterintheplantlabeledtobacco.
g. Pouroneoftheothersubstances(water,coffee,oralcohol)intotheotherplasticcuptotheline.
h. Pourthesubstanceintotheplantlabeledforthatsubstance.
i. Rinsethecupbetweeneachfeeding.
j. Repeatstepsg,h,andiuntileachplanthasbeenfed.
k. Keeptheplantsinasunnyareabetweenfeedings.
Conclude
Attheendof3weeks,examineandmeasureeachplant.Havestudentsrecordtheirobservations.Comparethemeasurementsanddrawingsofeachplantfromthefirstdaywiththemeasurementsandappearanceofeachplantafter3weeksoffeedingsandhavestudentsrecordthedifferences.Ifyoutookpicturesoftheplantspriortotheexperiment,comparethepicturestothewaytheplantslooknow.
QuestionsforStudents
Whateffectdideachsubstancehaveontheplant?Whathappened?Didsome
35
oftheplantsgrowmorethanothers?Didanyoftheplantsdie?Whatconclusionscanyoudrawfromtheappearanceoftheplants?Discusstheresultsoftheexperiment.Ifthesesubstanceshurt,ormaybeevenkilled,theplants,whatwouldhappenifapersonusednicotine,alcohol,orcaffeine?
Asstudentscompletetheactivitiesinthemodule,observewhethertheyhavemasteredthefollowing:
1. Canstudentsdescribetheeffectsofnicotineonthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangesoftenresultinaddiction?
2. Canstudentsdescribetheeffectsofalcoholinthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangesmayresultinaddiction?
3. Canstudentslistwithdrawalsymptomsofnicotineandalcohol?Dotheyunderstandtheconnectionbetweenthesesymptomsandhowthebrainchangesasaresultoftheuseofthesesubstances?
4. Canstudentsprovideascientificjustificationforthelawsagainsttheuseofnicotineandalcoholbyyoungpeople?
5. Didstudentsparticipateinclassactivitiesanddiscussion?Didtheyengageinthetopic?
Assessment
Asstudentscompletetheactivitiesinthemodule,observewhethertheyhavemasteredthefollowing:
1. Canstudentsdescribetheeffectsofnicotineonthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangesoftenresultinaddiction?
2. Canstudentsdescribetheeffectsofalcoholinthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangesmayresultinaddiction?
3. Canstudentslistwithdrawalsymptomsofnicotineandalcohol?Dothey
36
understandtheconnectionbetweenthesesymptomsandhowthebrainchangesasaresultoftheuseofthesesubstances?
4. Canstudentsprovideascientificjustificationforthelawsagainsttheuseofnicotineandalcoholbyyoungpeople?
5. Didstudentsparticipateinclassactivitiesanddiscussion?Didtheyengageinthetopic?
Resources
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)301-443-1124ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseaswellassectionsdesignedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includingnicotine,affectthebrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.
NIDADrugPubsResearchDisseminationCenter877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644;TTY/TDD:240-645-0228)OrderourmaterialsfreeofchargeinEnglishorSpanish.
NationalInstituteonAlcoholAbuseandAlcoholismAusefultoolforeducators,thissitedetailsthelatestresearch,andprovidesinformation,publications,andnewsreleasesonalcoholuseandabuse.
Buzzed:TheStraightFactsAbouttheMostUsedandAbusedDrugsfromAlcoholtoEcstasy.Kuhn,C.,Swartzwelder,S.andWilson,W.NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company,2003.Ahighlyinformative,detailed
37
reviewofwidelyabuseddrugs.
ResourcesforStudents
AbovetheInfluenceDesignedforteens,thissitecoverstherisksandconsequencesofvariousdrugsandprovidesnews,advice,andreal-lifestories.
MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includingnicotine,affectthebrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.
NIDAforTeensDesignedforteens,thissiteprovidesinformationonseveraldrugs,includingnicotine,aswellasquizzesandreal-lifestories.
TooSmarttoStartCoversawiderangeofalcohol-relatedissuesandcontainsadvicecolumns,wordgames,andaninteractivetoolthatexplainsalcohol’seffectsondifferentpartsofthebody.
TheCoolSpotThisNIAAAWebsite,createdformiddleschoolstudents,coversavarietyofpeerpressureissuesanddiscussesthemythsandfactsofalcohol.
Alcohol.Wagner,H.L.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2003.Containsathoroughdiscussionofalcohol-relatedissues,includinghistory,healtheffects,usagetrends,andalcoholism.
Nicotine.Wagner,H.L.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2003.Containsathoroughdiscussionofnicotineandsmoking,includinghistory,healtheffects,usagetrends,andaddiction.
38
TheU.S.Governmentdoesnotendorseorfavoranyspecificcommercialproductorcompany.Trade,proprietary,orcompanynamesappearinginthispublicationareusedonlybecausetheyareconsideredessentialinthecontextofthestudiesdescribedhere.
39
DrugsintheCupboard(Module3)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthefollowinglink:Module3(PDF,600KB)
Summary
Thismoduleexplainshowprescriptiondrugsandsomehouseholdproductscandamagethebrainandbodywhenusedimproperly.Householdproductsarecalledinhalantswhentheyareabused.Thesedrugsareparticularlypronetomisusebecausetheyareoftenfoundinthehomeandareeasilyaccessible.Prescriptiondrugsandinhalantsarenotdangerouswhentheyareusedasintended.However,theycanleadtoserioussideeffects,evendeath,whenusedinappropriately.
LearningObjectives
Attheendofthismodule:
Attheendofthismodule:
Studentscanexplaintheeffectsofprescriptiondrugs.
Studentscanexplainhowprescriptiondrugsaffectthefunctioningofthebrainandbodywhennotusedproperly.
Studentsunderstandhowinhalantscanchangethebrain.
Studentsunderstandwhyitisimportanttousemedicationasinstructed.
RelationshiptotheNationalScienceEducationStandards
ThislessonalignswiththreestandardsintheNSES:risksandbenefits;personalhealth;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelow
40
showshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.
ScienceinPersonal&SocialPerspectives
HowtheLessonisAligned
RisksandbenefitsPersonalhealth
Studentslearnabouttheshort-andlong-termeffectsofabusingprescriptiondrugsandinhalants.Thesedrugscanchangehowthebodyandbrainfunctionandcanleadtoaddiction.Studentscanusethisinformationinmakingdecisionsthataffecttheirownhealth.
LifeScience
HowtheLessonisAligned
Structureandfunctioninlivingsystems
Studentswilllearnhowprescriptiondrugsandinhalantsactinspecificpartsofthebraintoalterthefunctioningofneurons.Theywilllearnthatthesedrugsultimatelyaffecttheentirebrainandbody.
Background
PrescriptionDrugs
Drugsprescribedbyaphysiciancanrelievepainandcontrolthesymptomsofmanydisordersanddiseases.Peoplewhouseprescriptiondrugsasdirectedbyadoctor(attheprescribeddoseandfortherecommendedlengthoftime)areatverylowriskforaddictionorothernegativesideeffects.However,intentionalmisuseofprescriptiondrugscanbedangerous.Threecommonlymisusedprescriptiondrugsareopioids,centralnervoussystem(CNS)depressants,andCNSstimulants.
41
TheInternetmakesprescriptiondrugsmoreeasilyaccessibleformisuse.E-mailinboxesareoftenfullofspame-mailsofferingthesaleofprescriptiondrugswithoutaprescription.Whendiscussingthesedrugswithyourstudents,bringupthetopicofdangerousandmisleadingspame-mails,andhowitisimportanttorespectprescriptiondrugs.
EffectsofPrescriptionDrugsontheBrainandBody
Opioids
Opioids,suchasmorphine,codeine,oxycodone(Oxycontin),andhydrocodone(Vicodin),areprescribedforpainrelief.Usedcorrectly,opioidsarehelpfulforpeoplesufferingfromchronicpainorpainfromsurgery.Thesedrugsactbyattachingtoopioidreceptorsinthebrainandspinalcord,andblockingthetransmissionofpainmessagestothebrain.Opioidsalsocauseinitialfeelingsofpleasurebyactingontherewardsysteminthebrain.Sideeffectsofopioidsincludedrowsinessandconstipation.
CNSDepressants
CNSdepressantsincludebarbituratesandbenzodiazepines(e.g.,diazepam[Valium],alprazolam[Xanax],andlorazepam).Thesemedicationsareprescribedtotreatanxiety,tension,andsleepdisorders.TheyslowbrainfunctionbyincreasingtheactivityoftheneurotransmitterGABA.GABAdecreasesbrainactivityandcausesfeelingsofdrowsinessandcalmness,whichishelpfulinpeoplewithanxietyorsleepdisorders.
CNSStimulants
CNSstimulants,suchasdextroamphetamine(Dexedrine)andmethylphenidate(Ritalin),areprescribedforattention-deficithyperactivitydisorder(ADHD),narcolepsy(asleepingdisorder),anddepressionthathasnotrespondedtoothertreatments.Stimulantscopytheactivityoftheneurotransmittersdopamineandnorepinephrinebystimulatingtheirspecificreceptors.Thisresultsinincreasedalertness,attention,andenergy.Stimulantsalsoresultinincreased
42
feelingsofpleasure,higherbloodpressureandheartrate,andincreasedbloodglucoselevels.
ScientistsproposethatthereislessdopaminetransmissioninthebrainsofpersonswithADHDwhencomparedtootherindividuals.Becausestimulantscorrectthisshortfall,individualswithADHDbetterabletopayattentionandconcentratetheirfocusonatask.Itisprematuretodrawsolidconclusions,butstudiessofarhavenotshownadifferenceinlatersubstanceuseinyoungpeoplewithADHDtreatedwithprescriptionstimulantscomparedwiththosewhodidn'treceivesuchtreatment.ThissuggeststhattreatmentwithADHDmedicationdoesnotpositivelyornegativelyaffectaperson'sriskofdevelopingproblemuse.IndividualswhomisuseRitalinoftendosobytakingmorethanprescribed,takingpillsnotprescribedforthem,orbycrushingandthensnortingthetablets.Thiscauseswakefulnessandeuphoria.TheincreaseddopaminetransmissioncausedbyingestingRitalinreinforcesthebehavioroftakingthedrug,puttingauseratriskofaddiction.
43
DrugEffects
Opioids
Morphine,Codeine,Oxycodone,Hydrocodone
Attachtoopioidreceptorsinthebrainandbodytoblocktransmissionofpainmessages.
CNSDepressants
BarbituratesandBenzodiazepines
SlowbrainfunctionbyincreasingtheactivityoftheneurotransmitterGABA,whichdecreasesbrainactivityandcausesfeelingsofdrowsinessandcalmness.Thesedrugsalsodecreaseheartrateandbloodpressure.
CNSStimulants
DextroamphetamineandMethylphenidate
Activatedopamineandnorepinephrinereceptors,whichresultsinincreasedalertness,attention,andenergy.Stimulantsalsocausehigherbloodpressureandheartrate.
PrescriptionDrugsinCombinationwithOtherDrugs
Inordertobesafeandhealthy,patientstakingprescriptiondrugsmustcomplywiththemedicationguidelinessetbytheirdoctor.Itisimportanttoknowhowmuchmedicinetotake,howlongtotakeit,andwhatelsecanhaveanimpactonitseffectsonthebody.Possibleinteractionswithotherdrugs,vitamins,certainactivities,orenvironmentalfactorssuchassunexposureneedtobethoroughlyunderstoodbythepatientfortheprescribedmedication.Prescriptionmedicationsshouldneverbeshared.
Misusingprescriptiondrugscanhaveverynegativeconsequences.Atlargedoses,opioidscanbefatalbecausetheycancauseheartandbreathingratestoslowdownorstop.Highdosesofstimulantscancauseanirregularheartbeat,seriouslyhighbodytemperatures,andthepotentialforheartattacksanddeath.Takingstimulantsincombinationwithover-the-countercold
44
medicationscancauseabnormalitiesinbloodpressureandheartrhythm.TakingopioidsandCNSdepressantsincombinationwithotherdrugs,suchasalcoholorantihistamines,cancausesevererespiratoryproblemsanddeath.
PrescriptionDrugWithdrawal
Long-termmisuseofprescriptiondrugsmaycauseaddictionandproducewithdrawalsymptomsifthedrugisdiscontinued.Thewithdrawalsymptomsfromprescriptiondrugmisusevary,dependingontheparticulardrugbeingused.Thewithdrawalsymptomsthatresultfromopioidmisuseincluderestlessness,insomnia,vomiting,muscleandbonepain,diarrhea,andcoldflasheswithgoosebumps.
WithdrawalfromCNSdepressantsmaycausethebrain’sactivitytoreboundandraceoutofcontrol,resultinginseizuresandotherharmfulconsequences.ThewithdrawalsymptomsofCNSstimulantsincludedepression,fatigue,insomnia,lossofappetite,andcravingformorestimulants.
Inhalants
Inhalantsareaclassofchemicalsthathavemanyusefulpurposesinhouseholdsbutwerenevermeanttoenterthebody.Theyareintentionallymisusedbysniffingorinhaling.Theycanbesprayeddirectlyintothenoseormouth,inhaledfromsubstancesdroppedintoabag(“bagging”),inhaledfromasoakedrag(“huffing”),orinhaledfromaballoon.Inhalantsenterthebloodstreamdirectlythroughthelungsandrapidlytraveltothebrain.Usersexperienceanimmediate“headrush”orhigh.
Manyinhalantsarecommonlyfoundinthehome.Theycanbeclassifiedintofourcategories:volatilesolvents,aerosols,gases,andnitrites.
45
Thestudentmaterialsforthismoduledonotmentionspecifichouseholdproducts.Thiswasintentional.Youngpeopleareoftenhighlycuriousabouttheseeasilyaccessibledrugs.Toguardagainstsuchcuriosity,werecommendyouavoidmentioningspecificproductsinyourdiscussion.Theyarelistedinthefollowingchartforyourinformationonly.
Volatilesolvents:Paintthinnersandremovers,dry-cleaningfluids,degreasers,gasoline,glues,correctionfluids,felt-tipmarkerfluids.
Aerosols:Sprayscontainingpropellantsandsolvents,includingspraypaints,deodorantsandhairsprays,vegetableoilspraysforcooking,fabricprotectorsprays,whippedcream.
Gases:Householdgasesandmedicalanesthetics:ether,chloroform,halothane,nitrousoxide(laughinggas).
Nitrates:Cyclohexylnitrite,isoamyl(amyl)nitrite,isobutyl(butyl)nitrite;soldunderthenameof“poppers,”orfoundincertainroomdeodorizingsprays.
Inhalantusecandamageareasofthebraininvolvedincognitivefunctionsandproducesymptomsrangingfrommildimpairmenttodementia.Inhalantusecanalsodamagebrainareasresponsibleformovementandvision.
Permanenthearinglossandirreversibledamagetonervesthroughoutthebodycanoccurfromusinginhalants.Inhalantscancausehepatitis,liverfailure,andmuscleweakness.Theyalsointerferewiththeproductionofredbloodcells,whichcanresultinalife-threateningconditionknownasaplasticanemia.Aconditioncalled“suddensniffingdeath”mayoccurwheninhaledfumesreplaceoxygeninthelungsandbrainandcausesuffocation.Finally,inhalantscaninterferewithheartrhythm,leadingtoaheartattack.Thiscanoccurfromasinglesessionofrepeatedinhalantuse.
EffectsofInhalantsontheBrain
46
Scientistsareinvestigatingtheexactwayinwhichinhalantsslowandstoptheactivitiesofneurons.Someinhalantsalsodamagethestructureofthebrain,particularlythemyelin,orinsulation,thatcoverstheaxons.Becausemyelinhelpsmessagestravelthroughtheneurons,thisdamagecanbeveryserious.Thepartsofthebrainmostaffectedbyinhalantsarethecerebralcortex,cerebellum,hippocampus,andbrainstem.Becauseofthedamagetothecerebellum,heavyusersofinhalantsoftenshowsignsofdecreasedcoordination,movingslowlyandclumsily.
Thefrontalcortexofthebrain,importantforsolvingproblems,andthehippocampus,apartofthebraininvolvedinmemory,arealsoaffectedbyinhalantuse.Researchersthinkthatinhalantsdeprivethebrainofoxygen.Thiscausesthedeathofnervecellsandadecreaseinnervecellactivity.Thinking,memory,andtheabilitytolearnareallnegativelyaffected.
Manyinhalantsactivatethebrain’srewardsystem,causingbriefeuphoriaandstimulatingthereleaseofdopamine.Thisisthoughttoberesponsibleformakingtheuserwanttocontinueusinginhalants.
Long-TermInhalantUse
47
Peoplewhouseinhalantsoveralongperiodoftimefeelastrongurgetocontinueusingthem.Effectsoflong-termuseincludeweightloss,muscleweakness,disorientation,inattentiveness,lackofcoordination,irritability,anddepression.
Preparation/Introduction
Preparation
ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationabouttheeffectsofprescriptiondrugsandinhalantsonthebrainandbody.
ProvidestudentswiththeModule3magazineDrugsintheCupboardforbackgroundknowledge.
Determinewhichactivitiesyouwanttheclasstocomplete.
Arrangeforcomputerlabtimeorpreparetheclassroomcomputerforstudents’InternetandCD-ROMuse.
PhotocopyandpassoutthePrescriptionDrugs,Inhalants,andtheBrainFactSheetforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.
Preparetransparenciesandphotocopiesforthelesson.
GathercoloredpaperforActivity1.
Introduction
Time:15-20minutes
Handouts:Module3magazine(PDF,4.3MB)
Reading:Beginbygivingstudentsadequatetimetoreadthestudentmagazine.Havestudentspayparticularattentiontothefollowingsections:Background,StatsandFacts,andScienceintheSpotlight.
48
Discussion:Afterstudentshavereadthemagazine,facilitateadiscussionaboutthebrainusingthefollowingquestions.Ifnecessary,reviewthisinformationwithyourstudentsusingthediagramsprovided.
PrescriptionDrugsandInhalants
Whoshouldtakeprescriptiondrugs?When?
Whatarethethreeclassesofprescriptiondrugs?
Shouldapersonuseaprescriptiondrugthathasbeenprescribedforsomeoneelse?
Howdoesinhalantuseinjurethebrainandbody?
Whatisthenameoftheinsulationaroundneuronsthatisdamagedbyinhalants?
Activities
Activity1:ChooseaColor
Time:20minutes
Supplies:Eachstudentneedsapieceofred,orange,blue,andgreenpaper
Markers
Tellstudentsthatthisisthethirdactivityoftheircompetition.Thegroupthatdoesthebestjobwillearnfivepoints.Remindstudentsofwhichgroupstheyarein.Giveeachstudentfourdifferentcoloredpiecesofpaper:oneforopioids,oneforCNSdepressants,oneforstimulants,andoneforinhalants.Studentsshouldlabeleachaccordingly.Readeachofthestatementsbelow.Pauseafterreadingeachstatementandtellthestudentstopickthecoloredpaper(drug)
49
thatthestatementdescribesandtoholditup.Createyourownsetofpapertoholdupthecorrectanswer(s)forstudentstoseeaftertheyhavemadetheirownselection(s).
Red=OpioidsOrange=DepressantsBlue=StimulantsGreen=Inhalants
Warnstudentsthatsometimestheymayhavetoholdupmorethanonecoloredpieceofpaper.Tellthestudentsthatiftheyholdupapaperwiththewrongcolor,theywillbeoutofthegame.Thegamewillcontinueuntilonlyonestudentisleftoruntilallthestatementshavebeenread.Ifonlyonestudentisleft,thatstudent’steamearnsfivepoints.Ifseveralstudentsareleft,eachstudentearnsonepointforhisorherteam.Whenthegameisover,recordthewinninggroup’spointsontheGroupScorecard.
1. Thesedrugsshouldonlybeusedwhendirectedbyadoctor.Answer:Red,Orange,Blue(opioids,CNSdepressants,stimulants)
2. Peopleshouldneverusethesedrugsforanythingotherthantheirintendedpurposes.Answer:Allcolors(allfourgroupsofdrugs)
3. Thesedrugscancauseaddictionifusedinappropriately.Answer:Red,Orange,Blue(opioids,CNSdepressants,stimulants)
4. Thesedrugscancausedeathifusedinappropriately.Answer:Allcolors(allfourgroupsofdrugs)
5. Thisgroupofdrugsisprescribedtorelieveseverepain.Answer:Red(opioids)
6. Whenoneofthesedrugsisinhaled,itcancausesuddensniffingdeath.Answer:Green(inhalants)
7. Thesedrugsareprescribedtopatientswithattention-deficithyperactivitydisorder(ADHD).Answer:Blue(stimulants)
50
8. Whenusedinappropriately,thisgroupofdrugscancauseseizures.Answer:Blue(stimulants)
9. Whenusedappropriately,thisgroupofdrugscausescalmnessandhelpswithsleepandanxietyproblemsbyincreasingthereleaseoftheneurotransmitterGABA.Answer:Orange(CNSdepressants)
10. Whenusedappropriately,thisgroupofdrugscausesalertnessbycopyingtheactivityoftheneurotransmittersdopamineandnorepinephrine.Answer:Blue(stimulants)
11. Thistypeofprescriptiondrugaffectstheneurotransmitterdopamine.Answer:Blue,Red(stimulants,opioids)
12. Thisgroupofdrugscandeprivethebrainofoxygenanddecreasecoordination.Answer:Green(inhalants)
13. Whenabused,thesedrugscancauseheartandbreathingproblems.Answer:Allcolors(allfourgroupsofdrugs)
Activity2:PublicServiceAnnouncement
Time:40minutes
Supplies:Module3magazine(PDF,4.3MB)
Penorpencil
Paper
Handouts:PrescriptionDrugs,Inhalants,andtheBrainFactSheet(PDF,668KB)(page14inthepdf)
PublicServiceAnnouncements,orPSAs,arerunonTVandradiotoinformthe
51
communityaboutsafetyandhealthinformation.Tellthestudentsthattheywillbeplanning,writing,andperformingtheirownPSAfortheclass.Dividestudentsintogroupsof4−6,andassigneachgroupeither“prescriptiondrugs”or“inhalants”astheirtopic.
Givethestudentsabout15minutestolookthroughthestudentmagazine,theirnotes,andothersourcestogatherinformationconcerningtheirassignedtopic.InformthegroupsthatallPSAsmusteducatetheaudienceontheeffectsthesedrugshaveonthebrainandbody,andotherscience-basedfacts.Allowthemanother15minutestoplanandwritetheirPSA;thenhaveallgroupsperformtheirPSA.Tomakesurethatallstudentsineachgroupareactivelyengagedintheplanning,writing,andperformingoftasks,youcanassignrolessuchaswriter,director,actors,andscientificresearchers.
Keepthestudentsontrackbyemphasizingkeylecturepointsaboutthesciencebehinddrugusefromthebackgroundsection.
Wrapuptheactivitywithadiscussionandassessmentofthestrengthsofeachgroup’sPSA.
Room3(OnlineVersion)*
Includesgamesandmaterialstosupplementtheinformationpresentedinthemodule.Theroomlabeled“3”containsthefollowingactivitiesandspecificinformationpertainingtothismodule:
LearningObjectives:thesearepresentedatthebeginningofeachCD-ROMmodule
PillPoppers:anactivitywherestudentsmustmatchdrugeffectstothecorrectclassofprescriptiondrugs:depressants,stimulants,andopioids
SynapseSweep:agameinwhichplayersmustactquicklytogetridofthedrugsinthesynapsewhileavoidingtheneurotransmitters
52
MyelinSleuth:anactivitywherestudentsfigureoutwhichneurononamicroscopeslideisfromaninhalantabuserandwhichisthehealthybraincell
ModuleQuiz:thisquizisthefinalpartofthemodule,intendedtoassessstudents’learning
*AdobeFlashplayerrequiredtoview.
Extensions
1. HavestudentsdoresearchonADHDusingthestudentmagazine,theInternet,andothermagazines.TellthemtodevelopanoutlinesummarizingADHD:whatitis,thesymptoms,howcommonitisinchildren,behaviorsassociatedwiththedisorder,andtreatment.Thiswillgivestudentsabetterunderstandingofthedisorder,aswellaswhymanychildrentakemedicationtotreatADHD.
UsefulWebsites:
www.chadd.org/
www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index.shtml
2. Distributedrawingpaperanddrawingsuppliestostudents.Tellthemthattheyaregoingtobemakingabrochureforyoungerstudents(elementaryage)toexplainthedangersofprescriptiondrugandinhalantabuse.Encouragestudentstorememberwhattheyknewabouttheseissuesordrugswhentheywereyounger,andhelpthembrainstormideasforhowtopresenttheinformationtotheyoungeraudience.
53
Assessment
Asstudentscompletetheactivitiesinthemodule,observewhethertheyhavemasteredthefollowing:
1. Dostudentsrealizetheimportanceoftakingprescriptionmedicationsonlyunderadoctor’sguidance?Dotheyunderstandtheeffectsthatprescriptiondrugscanhaveonthebrainandbodywhentakenimproperly?
2. Dostudentsunderstandthevarioustypesofprescriptionmedicationsandwhytheyareprescribed?DotheyunderstandthepossibleconsequencesofRitalinuseforsomeonewhodoesn’thaveADHD?
3. Canstudentsexplaintheconsequencesofprescriptiondruguseincombinationwithotherdrugs,suchasalcohol,antihistamines,orotherover-the-countermedications?
4. Canstudentslistsomewithdrawalsymptomsofinhalants?Dotheyunderstandtheconnectionbetweenthesesymptomsandhowthebrainchangesfromtheuseofinhalants?
5. Dostudentsunderstandtheshort-andlong-termeffectsofinhalantsonthebrainandbody?Dotheyrealizetheimpactofthesesymptomsonbrainfunctioning?
Resources
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)301-443-1124ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseaswellassectionsdesignedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
MindOverMatterTeacher’sGuideThisprintable/downloadableteacher’sguideaccompaniesNIDA’sMindOverMatterseries.Theseriesisdesignedtoeducateteensaboutthebiological
54
effectsofdrugabuseonthebodyandbrain.
NIDADrugPubsResearchDisseminationCenter877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644;TTY/TDD:240-645-0228)OrderourmaterialsfreeofchargeinEnglishorSpanish.
Buzzed:TheStraightFactsAbouttheMostUsedandAbusedDrugsfromAlcoholtoEcstasy.Kuhn,C.,Swartzwelder,S.,andWilson,W.NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company,2003.Ahighlyinformative,detailedreviewofwidelyabuseddrugs.
ResourcesforStudents
MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includinginhalantsandopioids,affectthebrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.
AbovetheInfluenceDesignedforteens,thissitecoverstherisksandconsequencesofvariousdrugsandprovidesnews,advice,andreal-lifestories.
RitalinandOtherMethylphenidate-ContainingDrugs.Ferreiro,C.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2003.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.ThebookprovidesathoroughdiscussionofRitalinandADHD,withfactsaboutabuse.
Inhalants.Lobo,I.A.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2004.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Providesusefulinformationaboutthedifferenttypesofinhalants,howtheyactonthebrainandbody,usagetrends,andhealtheffects.
PrescriptionPainRelievers.Foster,O.M.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2005.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Containsathoroughdiscussionofprescriptionpainrelievers,includinghowtheyactinthe
55
brain,healtheffects,andusagetrends.Thisbookhelpsstudentsunderstandtheconnectionbetweentheseprescriptionpainrelieversandhowthebrainchangesasaresultoftheuseofthesesubstances.
56
WeedingOuttheGrass(Module4)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthefollowinglink:Module4(PDF,640KB)
Summary
MarijuanaisthemostcommonlyabusedillegaldrugintheUnitedStates.Nearlyhalfofallhighschoolstudentshaveusedmarijuana.Manychildrenandadolescents,andevenadults,thinkofitasaharmlessdrug,especiallywhencomparedtoheroin,cocaine,andevencigarettes.
Butmarijuanaishardlyharmless.Today’smarijuanais10to15timesstrongerthanitwasinthe1960s.Recentresearchisshowingthatthisdrughasastrongphysicalimpactonthebrainandbody.Becausetheirbrainsarestilldeveloping,itisparticularlyimportantforyoungpeopletounderstandtheeffectsofmarijuana.Thismoduleisdesignedtoteachstudentsabouttheseriouseffectsofmarijuana.
LearningObjectives
Attheendofthismodule:
Studentscanexplaintheshort-andlong-termeffectsofmarijuanauseandtheseriousnessoftheseeffects.
StudentsunderstandhowTHC,theactiveingredientinmarijuana,disruptsneurotransmission.
Studentscanexplainhowmarijuanacanadverselyaffectthehippocampusandotherpartsofthebrain.
RelationshiptotheNationalScienceEducationStandards
57
ThislessonalignswiththreestandardsintheNSES:risksandbenefits;personalhealth;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelowshowshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.
ScienceinPersonal&SocialPerspectives
HowtheLessonisAligned
RisksandbenefitsPersonalhealth
Studentslearntheshort-andlong-termeffectsofusingmarijuana.Studentscanusethisinformationtoinfluencedecisionsthataffecttheirownhealth.
LifeScience HowtheLessonisAligned
Structureandfunctioninlivingsystems
Studentswilllearnhowmarijuanaactsinthebrainandhowmarijuanacanultimatelyaffectthebrainandbody.
Background
Marijuana
Marijuanacomesfromthedriedleavesandflowersofthecannabisplant.Itcanbesmoked,cookedintobakedgoods,orbrewedintotea.Itcontainsmorethan400chemicals.Smokingmarijuana,likesmokingtobacco,canhavenegativeeffectsonthelungs.
Marijuanaalsohaspotentiallydangerousshort-termeffectsthatcanlastmorethan4hours.Inlowtomediumdoses,marijuanacancauserelaxation,reducedcoordination,reducedbloodpressure,sleepiness,attentionproblems,andanalteredsenseoftimeandspace.Inhighdoses,marijuanacancause
58
hallucinations,delusions,memoryproblems,anddisorientation.
Slangtermsformarijuanaincludepot,herb,weed,grass,chronic,ganja,andhash.
MarijuanaandNeurotransmitters
Tetrahydrocannabinol(THC)istheactiveingredientinmarijuanathatcauseschangesinthebrain.THCactivatesspecificreceptors,knownascannabinoidreceptors,whicharelocatedinthelimbicsystem,cerebralcortex,andcerebellum.Instudentmaterials,cannabinoidreceptorsarereferredtomoresimplyasTHCreceptors.Becausethesereceptorsarelocatedinmanyareasofthebrain,theeffectsarewidespread.Inthehealthybrain,cannabinoidreceptorsareactivatedbyaneurotransmittercalledanandamide.Anandamideisknowntohaveapain-relievingeffectandmayalsoplayaroleinnumerousotherbrainactivities.THChasmanyofthesameeffectsasanandamideandcanbindtothesamereceptors.ButwhenTHCactivatesthereceptors,itinterfereswiththenormalfunctioningoftheseareasofthebrain.
Sincethediscoveryofanandamide,scientistshavediscoveredothersimilarneurotransmittersthatalsoactonthereceptorwhereTHCbinds.Theyarestillinvestigatingthefunctionofbothanandamideandtheseotherneurotransmitters.
Likeotherdrugs,marijuanaalsobooststheneurotransmitterdopamine(indirectly)inthebrain’srewardcircuits,whichreinforcesthebehavioroftakingthedrug.
EffectsofMarijuana
Whilesomeoneisusingmarijuana,activityinthehippocampusisreduced,causingproblemswithshort-termmemory.Animalstudiesoflong-termmarijuanausehaveshowndamageinthisarea.Researchwithpeoplehasfoundthatchronicuseofmarijuanacancausepermanentmemoryand
59
cognitiveproblems,especiallyatyoungages.Specifically,onestudyfoundthatyoungpeoplewhousedmarijuanabeforetheageof17hadsignificantlylowerverbalIQs,ortheabilitytothinkwithwordsandprocessverbalinformation,thanbothpeoplewhobeganusingthedrugatanolderageandpeoplewhoneveruseditatall.Thesestudiesshowthatmarijuanacanbeparticularlyharmfulwhenitisusedbyyoungpeoplewhenthebrainisstilldeveloping.
Short-termeffectsofmarijuanauseincludedistortedperception,duetothedrug’sinterferencewiththebrain’sabilitytoprocesssensoryinformation.Informationabouttouch,sight,sounds,andtimearedistortedbecauseofmarijuana’seffectsonthecerebralcortex.Shorttermmarijuanausecanalsointerferewiththenormalfunctioningofthecerebellum.Thiscancauseproblemswithbalance,posture,andthecoordinationofmovement.
Long-termuseofthedrugcanalsoleadtoaseriesofattitudeandpersonalitychanges,knownas“amotivationalsyndrome.”Thissyndromeischaracterizedbyadiminishedabilitytocarryoutlong-termplans,asenseofapathy,decreasedattentiontoappearanceandbehavior,anddecreasedabilitytoconcentrateforlongperiodsoftime.Thesechangescanalsoincludepoorperformanceinschool.
MarijuanaWithdrawal
Newresearchisshowingthatlong-termmarijuanausemayleadtoaddiction.Whenthedrugisnolongeravailable,theusermaydevelopanuncontrollabledesireforthedrugandwithdrawalsymptomsincludingdecreasedappetite,weightloss,disruptioninsleep,increasedirritability,restlessness,andanger.
MedicalUsesofTHC
TherearesomemedicinesthatcontainTHC.Theyareusedfortreatingnauseaandvomitingassociatedwithchemotherapyforcancertreatment,andforimprovingappetitewhichisoneofthecomplicationsofAIDS.
AlthoughTHCcanbeveryhelpfultopeoplesufferingfromcancer,andAIDS,itcontinuestohavenegativesideeffects.Scientistsarestudyingthedrugsothat
60
theycandevelopatherapeuticdrugthatisfreeofTHC’snegativeconsequences.AnotherchemicalrelatedtoTHC,nabilone,hasbeenapprovedbytheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministrationfortreatingnauseaassociatedwithcancertreatment.Researchinthisimportantareacontinues.
Preparation/Introduction
Preparation
ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationabouttheeffectsofmarijuanaonthebrainandbody.
ProvidestudentswiththeModule4magazineWeedingOuttheGrassforbackgroundknowledge.
Determinewhichactivitiesyouwanttheclasstocomplete.
PhotocopyandpassouttheMarijuanaFactSheetforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.
Arrangeforcomputerlabtimeorpreparetheclassroomcomputerforstudents’InternetandCD-ROMuse.
PassoutcopiesoftheMarijuanaSurveyafewdaysaheadoftime.Giveeachstudent2-3copiesandinstructthemtohavesomefriendsfillthemoutanonymously.Tellthemnottolookatthepapersinrespectoftheirfriends’privacy.Collectthesurveyspriortotheclassperiodyouplantoteachthislessonandtallyuptheresponses.
Introduction
Time:15-20minutes
Handouts:Module4magazine(PDF,6.8MB)
61
Beginbyannouncingtheresultsofthesurvey,andseeiftheclassissurprised.Tellthemtheyaregoingtolearnmoreaboutthedrugintoday’sclass.
Reading:Givestudentsadequatetimetoreadthestudentmagazine.Havestudentspayparticularattentiontothefollowingsections:Background,StatsandFacts,andScienceintheSpotlight.
Discussion:Afterstudentshavereadthemagazine,facilitateadiscussionaboutmarijuanausingthefollowingquestions.
Marijuana:
Whatismarijuana?Wheredoesitcomefrom?
Whateffectsdoesmarijuanahaveonaperson?
Howdoesmarijuanaaffectneurotransmission?
Cananindividualbecomeaddictedtomarijuana?
Attheendofthediscussion,asktheclasswhethertheyfeeltheirfriendshaveanaccurateviewofmarijuana.Helpthemunderstandhowcommonopinionscancontradictscience.
Activities
Activity1:MarijuanaBingo
Time:30minutes
Supplies:Bingocardsandsheet(PDF,37KB)
Markers
62
Tellstudentsthatthisisthefourthactivityoftheircompetition.Thegroupwhogetsabingofirstearns5competitionpoints.InstructthestudentstositwiththeirBrainPower!Challengegroups;however,explaintothemthat,forthisactivity,theywillparticipateindividuallyandeachplaytheirowncard.Onlyonepersoninthegroupisrequiredtogetabingofortheteamtoearnthe5points.
1. Passoutabingocardtoeachstudent.Usingthewordbankatthebottomofthecard,instructstudentstowriteawordineachofthespacesonthecard.Eachwordshouldonlybeusedonce.
2. Usingtheteacherbingosheet,readeachdefinitioninorderalwaysannouncingthenumberfirstbecausethisishowthestudentswillmarktheircards.Forexample:Number1—Theactivechemicalinmarijuana.Atthistime,instructstudentstofindtheanswerontheircardsandmarkwitha“1.”Continuereadingthedefinitionsinorder,remindingstudentstomarktheanswerwiththedefinition’snumber,untilsomeoneyells,“Bingo”.Informthestudentsthattheyneedtoget5inarow—diagonally,across,orupanddown.Otherbingopatternscanbesubstitutedifyouchoosetodoso.
3. Usetheteacherbingosheettocheckforcorrectanswers.Markedwordsshouldcorrespondwithdefinitionnumbers.Iftheplayergetsallanswerscorrect,thatteamearns5points.Ifanyoftheanswersarewrong,thegamecontinuesuntilsomeonewins.
4. RecordtheteampointsontheGroupScorecard.
Activity2:PosterPresentation
63
Time:45minutes,oradequateresearchandpresentationtime(maywanttoallowmoretimeforposterpreparation)
Supplies:CD-ROM
Module4magazine(PDF,6.8MB)
Computerforresearch
Posterboard
Handouts:MarijuanaFactSheetandSurvey(PDF,668KB)(Pages18-21inthepdf)
Inthe1960s,somepeoplethoughtthatmarijuanawasa“safe”drug.However,newresearchpresentsadifferentpictureofthisdrug.Duringthisactivity,studentshaveanopportunitytofindoutforthemselvesthelatestresearchontheeffectsofmarijuanaonthebodyandbrain.
Dividetheclassintogroupsofthreeorfourstudents.AskeachgrouptoimaginethatithasbeenaskedtopresentthelatestresearchonmarijuanaataNationalmedicalconference.HavestudentsusetheFactSheet,CD-ROM,studentmagazine,andtheWebsiteslistedonthenextpageto:
1. Studycurrentresearchaboutmarijuana.
2. Createascientificposterpresentingfindingsfromtheresearch.Thepostershouldincludestatisticsaboutmarijuanause,resultsofrecentresearch,chartsandgraphsprovidingimportantinformation,andanyotherrelevantfindings.
3. Haveeachgrouppresentitsfindingstotheclass.
4. Afterallgroupshavepresented,brainstormasaclassdifferentwaysofeducatingthegeneralpublicaboutthelatestmarijuanaresearch.
64
Priortoactivity,addthesesitestotheclassroomcomputer’s“Favorites”drop-downmenu:
www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/marijuana
www.abovetheinfluence.com/drugs/marijuana/#facts
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/educators/curricula-and-lesson-plans/mind-over-matter/mom-teachers-guide/marijuana
https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/key-issues/marijuana/
Room4(OnlineVersion)*
Includesgamesandmaterialstosupplementtheinformationpresentedinthemodule.Theroomlabeled“4”containsthefollowingactivitiesandspecificinformationpertainingtothismodule:
LearningObjectives:thesearepresentedatthebeginningofeachCD-ROMmodule
UsingAnimalsinResearch:ashortlessonontheethicaluseofanimalsandresearch,andwhythisuseisscientificallyimportant
RatTrap:afungamewhereplayersscrambletocaptureratsandreturnthemtotheircages
ReceptorSearch:studentslearnwhereTHCreceptorsarelocatedinthebrain,throughaninteractivegame
Experiment:MarijuanaandMemory:studentswillconductafullexperimenttolearntheeffectsmarijuanahasonmemory
ModuleQuiz:thisquizisthefinalpartofthemodule,intendedtoassessstudents’learning
*AdobeFlashplayerrequiredtoview.
Extensions
65
1. Havestudentsdevelopapublicrelationscampaignagainstmarijuanause.Referthemtowww.abovetheinfluence.comasanexample.TheycandevelopposterstoputaroundtheschoolaswellasannouncementstobedeliveredoverthePAsystem.IftheschoolhasaTVstation,studentscoulddevelopashortannouncementtobebroadcastontheschool’snewsprogram.Havestudentssetatimeframethatthecampaignwillrunandagoalforitsoutcome.
2. HavestudentsdevelopaPowerPoint®presentationontheeffectsofmarijuanaonthebodyandthebrain.Thepresentationcouldincludeillustrationsofthebrain,chartsandgraphs,andrelevantstatistics.
3. Havestudentskeepa“log”ofwhenandwheretheyseementionofmarijuanainpopularmedia.Askthemtocutoutorcopynewspapermagazinearticles,andkeeparecordofwhentheynoticereferencestothedrugontelevision.Askthemtothinkaboutthedifferencesbetweenhowthedrugisrepresented,andwhatsciencecantellusabouttheeffectsofdrugsonthebrainandbody.
Assessment
Asstudentscompletetheactivitiesinthemodule,observewhethertheyhavemasteredthefollowing:
1. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofmarijuanaonthebrainandhowtheseeffectscanchangethebrain?
2. Dostudentsunderstandthescientificbasisforthelawsmakingmarijuanauseillegal?
3. Dostudentsunderstandhowmarijuanaaffectsneurotransmission?
4. Didstudentsparticipateintheclassactivitiesanddiscussion?Didtheyengageinthetopics?
Resources
66
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)301-443-1124ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseaswellassectionsdesignedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubsResearchDisseminationCenter877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644;TTY/TDD:240-645-0228)OrderourmaterialsfreeofchargeinEnglishorSpanish.
MindOverMatterTeacher’sGuideThisprintable/downloadableteacher’sguideaccompaniesNIDA’sMindOverMatterseries.Theseriesisdesignedtoeducateteensaboutthebiologicaleffectsofdrugabuseonthebodyandbrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.
Buzzed:TheStraightFactsAbouttheMostUsedandAbusedDrugsfromAlcoholtoEcstasy.Kuhn,C.,Swartzwelder,S.,andWilson,W.NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company,2003.Ahighlyinformative,detailedreviewofwidelyabuseddrugs.
ResourcesforStudents
NIDAforTeensDesignedforteens,thissiteprovidesinformationonseveraldrugs,includingmarijuana,aswellasquizzesandreal-lifestories.
MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includingmarijuana,affectthebrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.
AbovetheInfluenceDesignedforteens,thissitecoverstherisksandconsequencesofvarious
67
drugsandprovidesnews,advice,andreal-lifestories.
Marijuana.Mehling,R.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2003.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Containsathoroughdiscussionofmarijuana,includinghowitactsinthebrain,history,healtheffects,usagetrends,andrelevantlaws.
68
DrugsontheStreet(Module5)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthefollowinglink:Module5(PDF,520KB)
Summary
Thismodulediscussestwoillegaldrugs:heroinandcocaine.Manypeopleconsidercocaineandherointobehard-core“street”drugs,butincreasingly,youngerpeopleinallkindsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryareusingthesedangerousdrugs.Heroinandcocainebothhaveahugeimpactonthehealthofthebrainandthebody.Useofthesedrugschangesthebrain.Bothareillegalandhighlyaddictive.Sometimesthesedrugsareusedincombination.
ThroughthecontentofthemagazineandCD-ROM,studentswilllearnhowheroinandcocaineaffectthebrainandbody.Theywillalsoexploreinformationontheshort-andlong-termeffectsofthesedrugs,includingaddiction.
LearningObjectives
Attheendofthismodule:
Studentscanexplainhowheroinandcocaineuseaffectsthebrainandbody.
Studentscanexplainhowheroinandcocaineuseaffectsnormalneurotransmission.
Studentsunderstandhowheroinandcocainecanchangethebrainandcauseaddiction.
RelationshiptotheNationalScienceEducationStandards
69
Thelessoninmodule1alignswithtwostandardsintheNSES:systems,order,andorganization;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelowshowshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.
ScienceinPersonal&SocialPerspectives
HowtheLessonisAligned
RisksandbenefitsPersonalhealth
Studentslearntheshort-andlong-termaffectsofusingcocaineandheroin.Thesedrugscanchangehowthebodyandbrainfunctionandcanleadtoaddiction.Studentscanusethisinformationtoinfluencedecisionsthataffecttheirownhealth.
LifeScience HowtheLessonisAligned
Structureandfunctioninlivingsystems
Studentswilllearnhowneurotransmissioniseffectedbycocaineandheroinandhowthesedrugsultimatelyaffecttheentirebrainandbody.
Background
Heroin
Heroinbelongstoaclassofdrugscalledopioids,whichalsoincludesthepainkillerscodeineandmorphine.HeroincomesfromanaturalsubstanceextractedfromtheseedpodoftheAsianpoppyplant.Itusuallyappearsasawhiteorbrownpowder.
70
Slangtermsforheroinincludesmack,H,skag,andjunk.Othernamesrefertotypesofheroinproducedinaspecificgeographicalarea,suchasMexicanblacktar.
Heroinisusuallyinjected,sniffed,snorted,orsmoked.Injectionofthedrugprovidesthegreatestintensityandmostrapidonsetofsymptoms.Almostimmediatelyuponinjection,theuserisrelievedofphysicalpainanddiscomfortandexperiencespleasurablefeelings.Thisfalsesenseofwell-beingplaysapartintheaddictiontoheroin.Thedrug“rush”isaccompaniedbyaflushingoftheskin.
Lesspleasantaftereffectsofheroinuseincludeadrymouthandheavyfeelinginthelimbs,whichmaybeaccompaniedbynausea,vomiting,andsevereitching.Peoplewhouseheroinaregenerallydrowsyforseveralhoursafterusingheroinandtheirmentalfunctioningbecomescloudedasthecentralnervoussystem,heart,andbreathingslowdown.Inthecaseofoverdose,thisdecreaseinfunctioningcancausedeath.
HeroinandNeurotransmitters
Thebrainnaturallycontainsreceptorsforopioidsthatareinvolvedinbreathing,perceptionofpain,emotion,andreward.Whenapersonabusesheroin,thedrugtravelsquicklytothebrainandactivatesthesereceptors.Heroinalsointeractswiththerewardsystemtoproduceanintense,short-livedrush;italsoproducesasurgeoftheneurotransmitterdopamine,whichnudgesthebraintowanttorepeatthebehavior.Long-termuseofheroincandecreasetherewardsystem’ssensitivitytothedrug.Thisisaddiction.Thereceptorsthataresensitivetoheroinarelocatedinseveralpartsofthebrain,includingthecerebralcortexandbrainstem.
Long-termEffects,Addiction,andWithdrawal
Long-termeffectsofheroinuseincludeaddiction,infectionoftheheartliningandvalves,andliverdisease.Forthoseuserswhoinjectthedrug,thereisa
71
highriskofinfectiousdiseases,includingHIV/AIDS,collapsedlungs,andhepatitisBandC.Lungcomplications,includingvarioustypesofpneumonia,mayresultfromtheoverallpoorhealthofthepersonusingheroinaswellasfromheroin’seffectsonrespiration.Deathbyoverdoseisnotuncommon.
Whenaddictedusersstoptakingthedrug,theygothroughaseverewithdrawal.Symptomsofwithdrawalincluderestlessness,muscleandbonepain,inabilitytosleep,diarrhea,vomiting,coldflasheswithgoosebumps(“coldturkey”),andinvoluntarylegmovements.Apersonwhoisgoingthroughwithdrawalcravesthedrugandwilldojustaboutanythingtogetit.
Cocaine
Cocaineisaveryaddictivestimulantthatismadefromtheleavesofthecocaplant.Itcomesintwoforms:powderandcrystal(“crack”).Cocainecanbesnorted,injected,orsmoked.Immediatelyafteruse,cocaineproducesfeelingsofhappiness,increasedenergy,andalertness.This“high”isfollowedbyfeelingsofdepression,edginess,andacravingformoreofthedrug.Peoplewhousecocaineoftendon’teatorsleepregularlyandmayfeelparanoid,angry,hostile,andanxious.Cocaineusecancauseanincreaseinheartrate,musclespasms,andconvulsions.Breathingbecomesfaster.Usersmaysweatandhavedilatedpupils.Long-termhealthrisksofcocaineuseincludedamagetothenasaltissue,seizures,stroke,heartattack,andsuddendeathfromoverdose.
Slangtermsforcocaineincludeblow,coke,flake,nosecandy,powder,rock,snow,andwhite.
CocaineandNeurotransmission
Cocaineactsinseveralbraincircuitsthatusedopamine,bypreventingdopamine’srecycling,resultinginabuildupofdopamineinthesynapse.Theexcessdopaminecontinuestostimulatetheneighboringneuron;inbraincircuitscontrollingmovement,thisproduceshyperactivity;inrewardcircuits,it
72
stronglyreinforcestheassociationbetweenthedrugandpleasure,inducingthepersontokeeptakingthedrug.
Whencocaineisnolongertaken,dopaminelevelsreturntotheirnormallowerconcentration.Becausetherearenowfewerdopaminereceptorsavailable,thedopamineisunabletofullyactivatenervecells.Atthispoint,apersonisaddictedtococaineandexperiencesintensecravingandwithdrawal.Damagetotheneuronsandtheprocessofneurotransmissioncanleadtomanyproblems,includingproblemswithmemoryandadisruptionintherateoflearning.Cocaineisveryaddictive;withdrawalisveryhard.
Long-termEffects,Addiction,andWithdrawal
Peoplewhousecocaineeventuallyareunabletoachievethesameeffectsfromthedrugastheydidfromtheirfirstexperience.Thisisbecausetheyhavedevelopedatolerancetothedrug.Atthispoint,theymustrepeatedlyincreasetheirdosesinanattempttoobtainthoseinitialeffectsagain.Whencocaineuseisstopped,thepersonmayfeelastrongcravingformorecocaine,accompaniedbyfeelingsofdepression,anxiety,irritability,andparanoia.
Preparation/Introduction
Preparation
ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationabouttheeffectsofheroinandcocaineonthebrainandbody.
ProvidestudentswiththeModule5magazineDrugsontheStreetforbackgroundknowledge.
Determinewhichactivitiesyouwanttheclasstocomplete.
Arrangeforcomputerlabtimeorpreparetheclassroomcomputerforstudents’InternetandCD-ROMuse.
PhotocopyandpassouttheHeroinandCocaineFactSheetforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.
73
Preparetransparenciesandphotocopiesforthelesson.
Introduction
Time:20-25minutes
Handouts:Module5magazine(PDF,7MB)
HeroinandCocaineFactSheet(PDF,668KB)(Page22inthepdf)
Reading:Beginbygivingstudentsadequatetimetoreadthestudentmagazine.Havestudentspayparticularattentiontothefollowingsections:Background,StatsandFacts,andScienceintheSpotlight.
Discussion:Afterstudentshavereadthemagazine,askthestudentswhattheyknowaboutheroinandcocaine.Recordallthoughtsonthechalkboard.Tellthemthatthegoalofthislessonistolearnaboutcocaineandheroin.Facilitateadiscussionaboutthebrain,heroin,andcocaineusingthefollowingquestions.
Heroin
Howisheroinused?
Whatarethereceptorsinthebrainthatheroinbindsto?
Whatneurotransmitterismostaffectedbyheroinuse?
Howdoesthebrainchangeasaresultofheroinuse?
Whathappensinthebrainthatcausesheroinaddiction?
Cocaine
Howiscocaineused?
74
Whataresomeoftheeffectsofcocaineonthecentralnervoussystem?
Whatneurotransmitterisaffectedbycocaine?
Howdoesthebrainchangeasaresultofcocaineuse?
Whatarethelong-termeffectsofcocaineuse?
Activities
Activity1:TargetingtheCentralNervousSystem
Time:30minutes
Supplies:Pencilandpaper
Handouts:Module5magazine(PDF,7MB)
Tellstudentsthatthisisthefifthactivityoftheircompetitionandthegroupthathasthemostnumberofcompletebasewordswillearnfivepoints.Remindstudentswhichgroupstheyarein.Havestudentssitwiththeirgroups.
1. Havethestudentsreviewthemagazineforthismodule.Theyshouldfocusonhowheroinandcocaineaffectthecentralnervoussystem.
2. Haveeachgroupidentifyavocabularywordusedinthismodule.Thiswordwillbetheir“baseword”foranacronym.Thenhavestudentscomeupwithsupportingwordsbeginningwitheachletterinthebaseword.Thewordsmustdirectlyrelatetothebaseword.Forexample,ifthebasewordis“COCAINE,”thesupportingwordscouldbeCrack,Overdose,Craving,Anxiety,Insomnia,Nasaldamage,andEdginess.
75
Pointoutthatheroindepressesthecentralnervoussystem,whilecocainestimulatesit.Bothareextremelyaddictive.
3. Foreachsupportingword,studentsshouldwriteasentencethatdescribesitsrelationshipwiththebaseword(e.g.,“Nasaldamageisaneffectofsnortingcocaine.”).Givethestudents10-15minutestocompletetheirwords.Tellthemtheywillgetonepointforeachsupportingwordtheycancomeupwith.
Youcaneithergivestudentsbasewordstocompleteorhavethemcomeupwiththebasewordsontheirown.Ifthegroupismoreadvanced,havethemcompleteseveralwords.Studentscanuseanywordthatpertainstosomethingthey’velearnedinthemodule,oreventhecurriculumsofar.
4. Aftereachgrouphascompletedthewordorsetofwords,havestudentssharethemwiththeclass.
5. Recordthewinninggroup’spointsontheGroupScorecard.
Activity2:TalkItOut
Time:45minutes
Supplies:Posterboardforeachgroup
Markers
Computerforresearch
Overthelast30years,scientistshavedevelopedalargebodyofresearchdocumentinghowcocaineandheroinaffectthecentralnervoussystemand
76
otherbodysystems.Oftenthismaterialiswritteninsuchawaythatyoungpeoplehaveadifficulttimeunderstandingit.Nonetheless,itisimportantthatstudentshaveaccesstothisinformation.Duringthisactivity,studentswillworktogethertointerpretsomerecentresearchandputitintoaformatthattheirpeerscanunderstand.
1. Createsixgroupsofstudents.Assigneachgroupatopicaccordingtothefollowingchart:
Heroin Cocaine
Addiction Group1 Group4
Brain/NervousSystem Group2 Group5
Body Group3 Group6
2. AskeachgrouptousetheWebsiteslistedbeloworotherrelatedsitestodeepentheirunderstandingofthetopicassignedtothem.
Priortotheactivity,addthesesitestotheclassroomcomputer’s“Favorites”drop-downmenu:
NIDAInfoFacts:Cocaine
NIDAInfoFacts:Heroin
NIDAResearchReports:Cocaine
NIDAResearchReports:Heroin
www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp
3. Haveeachgroupputitsinformationintoaposterthatissimpleandeasytounderstandthattheywillpresenttotheclass.
Ifposterboardisunavailable,havestudentscreateabrochureinstead.
77
4. Aftereachgrouphascompletedaposter,havethempresenttheirpostertotheclass.Askfollow-upquestionstoreinforceimportantinformation.
Room5(OnlineVersion)*
Includesgamesandmaterialstosupplementtheinformationpresentedinthemodule.Theroomlabeled“5”containsthefollowingactivitiesandspecificinformationpertainingtothismodule:
LearningObjectives:thesearepresentedatthebeginningofeachCD-ROMmodule
Experiment:HeroinandAddiction:studentswillconductanexperimenttoobservetheaddictivepropertiesofheroin
RatChow-lenge:afungamewhereplayersmustjumpovermovingratfoodcanstostraightentheshelvesinasupplycloset
NT210:CocaineintheBrain:thisanimatedlearningtooldetailshowcocainedisruptsnormalneurotransmission
CycleofAddiction:aninformativeposterwherestudentswilllearnaboutthestagesofaddiction
ModuleQuiz:thisquizisthefinalpartofthemodule,intendedtoassessstudents’learning
*AdobeFlashplayerrequiredtoview.
Extensions
1. Havestudentswriteashortparagraphonhowaddictiontoheroinorcocainechangesthebrain.Youcanassistthemwiththisbyreadingthroughtheteacher’sguidecontent.Then,haveeachstudentuniquelyillustratetheconceptsinacomic-bookstyle.Theycancreateneuroncharacters,neurotransmittersuperheroes(dopamine),andvillains(heroinorcocaine).
2. Explaintothestudentsthat“LetterstotheEditor”pagesinlocalnewspapers
78
areanexcellentwayforpeopletogetmessagesoutaboutissuestheycareabout.HavestudentswritetheirownlettertoaneditorasaBrainPower!drugexpertabouttheimportanceofdrugeducationintheschools.
Assessment
Asstudentscompletetheactivitiesinthemodule,observewhethertheyhavemasteredthefollowing:
1. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofheroinonthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangescanresultinaddiction?
2. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofcocaineinthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangescanresultinaddiction?
3. Dostudentsunderstandtheconnectionbetweenwithdrawalsymptomsandhowthebrainchangesfromtheuseofheroinandcocaine?
4. Dostudentsunderstandthedifferencesbetweentheeffectsofeachofthesedrugsonthebody?
5. Didstudentsparticipateinclassactivitiesanddiscussion?Didtheyengageinthetopics?
Resources
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)301-443-1124ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseaswellassectionsdesignedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubsResearchDisseminationCenter877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644;TTY/TDD:240-645-0228)OrderourmaterialsfreeofchargeinEnglishorSpanish.
79
MindOverMatterTeacher’sGuideThisprintable/downloadableteacher’sguideaccompaniesNIDA’sMindOverMatterseries.Theseriesisdesignedtoeducateteensaboutthebiologicaleffectsofdrugabuseonthebodyandbrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.
Buzzed:TheStraightFactsAbouttheMostUsedandAbusedDrugsfromAlcoholtoEcstasy.Kuhn,C.,Swartzwelder,S.,andWilson,W.NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company,2003.Ahighlyinformative,detailedreviewofwidelyabuseddrugs.
ResourcesforStudents
MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includingmarijuana,affectthebrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.
AbovetheInfluenceDesignedforteens,thissitecoverstherisksandconsequencesofvariousdrugsandprovidesnews,advice,andreal-lifestories.
Heroin.Ferreiro,C.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2003.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Containsathoroughdiscussionofheroin,includinghistory,effects,addiction,andrelatedlaws.
Cocaine.Wagner,H.L.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2003.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Containsathoroughdiscussionofcocaine,includinghistory,effects,addiction,andthe“business”ofcocaine.
80
DrugsintheNews(Module6)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthefollowinglink:Module6(PDF,454KB)
Summary
Thedangersofdrugusemakeheadlinesallovertheworld:frommethamphetaminelabsinruralhomesto“clubdrugs”beingusedinpartiesandbarstoworld-classathletesabusingsteroids.Thegoalofthismoduleistohelpstudentsidentifyandunderstanddifferentmessagesaboutdrugsthatarepresentinthemedia,andtoincreasetheirknowledgeaboutthepossibledangers,harmfuleffects,andconsequencesofalltypesofsubstanceuse.
Thismodulewillfocusonillegaldrugsthathavemaderecentheadlines:
Steroids:Performance-enhancingdrugsthatareinjectedortakenorallybyathletestoincreasestrengthandendurance.
Methamphetamine:Stimulantsthataresyntheticallycreated,ofteninsmallhome-basedlabs.
GHB,Rohypnol,Ketamine,MDMA:Thesearesomeofthemorepopular“clubdrugs,”ordrugsthatcancausefeelingsofdisorientationandmemoryloss.
Studentswilllearnabouttheeffectthateachdrughasonthebrainandbody,andhowuseofthesedrugsaffectsindividualsandoursocietyasawhole.
LearningObjectives
Attheendofthismodule:
Studentscanexplaintheeffectsthatmethamphetamine,steroids,andmany
81
common“clubdrugs”canhaveonthebrainandbody.
Studentsunderstandtherelationshipbetweentheeffectsofthesedrugsonthebrainandbodyandaddiction.
Studentsunderstandthedangersofthesedrugsandareawareoftheirpresenceinoursociety.
Studentscanidentifyandcriticallyanalyzemediainformationaboutmethamphetamine,steroids,and“clubdrugs.”
RelationshiptotheNationalScienceEducationStandards
ThislessonalignswiththreestandardsintheNSES:risksandbenefits;personalandcommunityhealth;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelowshowshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.
ScienceinPersonal&SocialPerspectives
HowtheLessonisAligned
Risksandbenefits
Studentslearnabouttherisksassociatedwithseveraldrugsprevalentinoursociety.Studentscanusethisinformationtoassesstherisksandbenefitsthataffecttheirownhealth.
Personalandcommunityhealth
Studentslearnabouttheimpactthatdrugshaveonsocietyandhowthemediacaninfluenceattitudesaboutdrugs.Studentswillbecomemorecriticalconsumersofinformationandusetheirknowledgetomakebetterdecisions.
82
LifeScience HowtheLessonisAligned
Structureandfunctioninlivingsystems
Studentswilllearnhowneurotransmissionisaffectedbydifferentdrugsandhowthesedrugsultimatelyaffecttheentirebrainandbody.
Background
Steroids
Anabolicsteroidsareartificialversionsoftestosterone,ahormonethatallindividualshavenaturallyintheirbodies.Anabolicsteroids,themostfrequentlymisusedofallsteroids,aretakenorallyorinjectedtoenhanceathleticperformance,increasestamina,andimprovephysicalappearance.Anabolicmeans“muscle-building.”Steroidsareoftentakenincyclesofweeksormonthsratherthancontinuously.
Thisiscalled“cycling.”“Stacking”referstotheuseofseveraldifferenttypesofsteroidssuccessively;thispracticeisthoughttomaximizetheirbenefitswhileminimizingnegativeeffects.Usersthinkthiswillhaveagreatereffect,butthereisnoscientificevidenceforthis.
SlangtermsforsteroidsincludeArnolds,gymcandy,pumpers,stackers,weighttrainers,andjuice.
EffectsofSteroidsontheBody
Steroidshaveverydangeroussideeffects,includingdamagetotheliverandkidneysaswellasriskofhighbloodpressureandheartproblems.Insomecases,steroidusehasledtodeath.Althoughsteroidsareeffectiveinbuildingleanmuscle,strength,andendurance,nostudieshavedocumentedthattheyenhanceathleticperformance.
83
Whileanabolicsteroidscanmakesomepeoplelookstrongerontheoutside,theimmunesystem—thebody’sdefenseagainstgermsanddiseases—issignificantlyweakened.Aggressionandotherpsychiatricsideeffectsmayalsoresultfrommisuseofanabolicsteroids.Althoughusersmayreportfeelinggoodwhileonanabolicsteroids,extrememoodswingscanoccur,withthepotentialforviolence(thisisoftenreferredtoas“roidrage”).Usersmayalsosufferfromparanoidjealousy,irritability,delusions,impairedjudgment,anddepression.
Inaddition,steroidusecanimpactsexualdevelopment(cessationofmenstruationingirls,shrinkingofthetesticlesandimpotenceinboys),andcausesevereacne,lossofscalphair,andhairgrowthonthebodyandface.Livercancerandheartdiseaseareamongotherserioussideeffectsofsteroidusethatcanoccurinbothmalesandfemalesofallages.Steroidscanpermanentlystopthebonesfromgrowing,meaningthatateenagesteroiduserwillnotgrowtofulladultheight.Althoughmoreboysthangirlsmisusesteroids,thesedrugsareequallydangerousforbothgenders.PeoplewhoinjectanabolicsteroidsputthemselvesathigherriskofcontractingHIV/AIDSorhepatitis,adiseasethatseriouslydamagestheliver.
SteroidsandNeurotransmission
Afterapersontakessteroids,thedrugsaredistributedtomanyregionsofthebrain,includingthehypothalamus.Testosteroneisnaturallyproducedinthehypothalamus,whichcontrolsappetite,bloodpressure,moods,andreproductiveability.Steroidsalterthenormalfunctioningofthehypothalamus,resultinginchangesintheamountoftestosteronethatissentthroughoutthebody.Becausetestosteroneplaysaroleinmanybodyfunctions,thiscanresultinthemanyeffectsseenwithsteroidmisuse.
Steroidscanalsodisruptthefunctioningofneuronsinthelimbicsystem,thepartofthebrainresponsibleforemotionalregulation.Thisdisruptioncanleadtoaggressivebehavior,moodswings,violentbehavior,impairmentofjudgment,andevenpsychoticsymptomslikepersonalitychangesorparanoia.
Methamphetamine
84
Methamphetamineisanillegalstimulantthatspeedsupthebrain’sfunctioning.Itcanbesmoked,snorted,injected,ortakenorally.Methamphetamineisproducedaspills,powders,orchunkycrystals.Thecrystalform,nicknamed“crystalmeth,”lookslikesmallfragmentsofglassorshiny,blue-whiterocks.Whenswallowedorsnorted,methamphetaminegivestheuseranintensehigh.Injectionscausethepersontofeelaquickhighcalleda“rush”or“flash”thatlastsanespeciallylongtime.
Slangtermsformethamphetamineincludespeed,uppers,meth,crystalmeth,ice,andcrank.
Methamphetamineandneurotransmition
Methamphetamineactsbyalteringlevelsoftheneurotransmittersdopamineandnorepinephrineinsynapsesinvariousbrainregions.Becausemethamphetaminehasasimilarchemicalstructuretodopamineandnorepinephrine,itcanbepickedupbyneuronsthatnormallyrecycletheseneurotransmitters.Itcanalsoenterneuronsbypassingdirectlyacrossthecellmembrane.Oncemethamphetamineentersaneuron,itcausestheneurontoreleaselargeamountsofbothdopamineandnorepinephrineintothesynapse.Norepinephrinemostlikelycausesthealertnessseenwithmethamphetamineuse.Highconcentrationsofdopamineinthebrain’srewardcircuitsstronglyreinforceuseofthedrug(makingtheuserwanttorepeattheexperience).
EffectsofMethamphetamineontheBrainandBody
Methamphetaminecancauseaddiction,stroke,violentbehavior,nervousness,confusion,paranoia,auditoryhallucinations,mooddisturbances,anddelusions.Someoftheseeffectsmaybelong-lasting.Researchhasalsoshownthatevenseveralyearsaftermethamphetamineusehasstopped,usersmaystillhaveareductionintheirabilitytotransportdopaminefromthesynapsebackintotheneuron,indicatingthattherecanbelong-termimpairmentfollowingthedruguse.ThedamagetothedopaminesystemfrommethamphetamineissimilartothedamageseeninParkinson’sdisease,whereitoccursnaturally.
85
MethamphetamineWithdrawal
Althoughmethamphetamineisahighlyaddictivedrug,noacutesymptomsareevidentatthetimeofmethamphetaminewithdrawal.Withdrawalsymptomscanoftentake30to90daystooccur,andcanincludedepression,cravings,lackofenergy,andevensuicidalthoughts.Newresearchsuggeststhatbrainabnormalitiessimilartothoseseeninpeoplewithdepressionandanxietydisorderscanoccurwhenapersonstopsusingmethamphetamine.Methamphetamineusehasaveryhighrelapserate;morethan90percentofindividualsintreatmentreturntodruguse.
TheImpactofMethamphetamineonCommunities
Dramaticincreasesintheproductionanduseofmethamphetaminehaveledtobroadmediacoverageofthisdrug.Methamphetamineismadeillegallywithfairlyinexpensiveandreadilyavailableingredients,suchasdraincleaner,batteryacid,andantifreeze.Asaresult,amajorityofthemethamphetamineproducedintheUnitedStatesismadeinhomelabs.Methamphetamineishighlyaddictive,creatingahighdemandforthedrugandthelabsthatsupplyit.Theselabsareamajorproblemforthecommunity.Methamphetaminelabshavethepotentialtocontaminatedrinkingwater,soil,andair.Inaddition,methamphetamineuseoftenincreasescrimeandviolentacts,suchasdomesticviolenceorchildabuse,inaffectedindividualsandcommunities.
Seethe“ScienceintheSpotlight”articleintheModule6magazineformoreontheimpactofmethamphetamineonsociety.
GHB,Rohypnol,MDMA,ANDKetamine(“ClubDrugs”)
FourclubdrugsareGHB(gammahydroxybutyricacid),flunitrazepam(Rohypnol),MDMA(3-4methylenedioxymethamphetamine),andketamine.Thesedrugsarecalledclubdrugsbecauseoftheirassociationwithuseinpartysituations(note:methamphetamineisalsoconsideredaclubdrug).
86
GHBhasthreeforms:acolorless,odorlessliquid,awhitepowder,andapill.Rohypnolisapillthatdissolvesinliquids.
SomeformsofRohypnolareundetectableinliquids,whilenewerRohypnolpillscausecolorchangesintheliquid.MDMA,oftenknownasecstasy,comesinatabletorcapsuleform.Ketamineisawhitepowder.
GHBisalsoknownas"Georgiahomeboy".Rhypnolisalsoknownas"roofies".SlangtermsforMDMAinclude"ecstasy","XTC","e","x",and"adam".Ketamineissometimesreferedtoas"specialK".
GHBandRohypnolarealsoknownas"daterapedrugs"becauseoftheireffectonmemoryandtheiruseinsexualassaultsituations.Studentmaterialsdonotofferthisterminology.Determinewhetheryourstudentsarereadyforthislevelofdiscussionbeforepresentingthisterminologytothem,ifyoudecidetoatall.
GHBcancausememoryloss,relaxation,drowsiness,dizziness,nausea,difficultyseeing,unconsciousness,seizures,breathingproblems,tremors,sweating,vomiting,decreasedheartrate,adreamlikefeeling,coma,andpossibledeath.
Rohypnolcancausememoryloss,lowerbloodpressure,sleepiness,musclerelaxationorlossofmusclecontrol,adrunkfeeling,nausea,slurredspeech,difficultywithmotormovements,lossofconsciousness,confusion,problemsseeing,dizziness,andstomachproblems.
MDMAcancauseincreasesinheartrateandbloodpressure,muscletension,involuntaryteethclenching,nausea,blurredvision,faintness,andchillsorsweating.Inhighdoses,MDMAcanleadtoasharpincreaseinbodytemperature(hyperthermia)thatresultsinliver,kidney,andcardiovascularsystemfailure.
Ketaminecancausehallucinations,lostsenseofidentityandtime,distorted
87
perceptionsofsightandsound,feelingoutofcontrol,impairedmotorfunction,problemsbreathing,convulsions,vomiting,out-of-bodyexperiences,adreamlikefeeling,numbness,lossofcoordination,aggressiveorviolentbehavior,andslurredspeech.
GHB,Rohypnol,MDMA,andKetamineintheBrain
GHBandRohypnolaffecttheneurotransmitterGABA(gammaaminobutyricacid).Normally,GABAinhibitstheabilityofneuronstosendmessagestoneighboringneurons;inotherwords,itstopsorslowsthecommunicationbetweenneurons.WhenapersonusesGHBorRohypnol,thedrugsenhancetheeffectsofGABA,furtherdecreasingcommunicationbetweenneurons.Thisdecreasedcommunication,ordepressanteffect,causesdrowsinessandconfusion,andcanhaveevenmoreseriouseffectssuchassleep,coma,ordeath.
MDMAcausesanincreaseinactivityassociatedwiththeneurotransmittersserotonin,dopamine,andnorepinephrine.Itdoesthisbypreventingthereuptakeoftheneurotransmitters.MDMAcanalsocausethereuptakesitestoworkinreverse,sotheyreleaseevenmoreserotoninintothesynapse.Serotoninplaysanimportantroleintheregulationofmood,sleep,pain,emotion,andappetite.TheexcessserotoninfoundinsynapsesasaresultofMDMAuselikelycausestheeuphoriceffectsofthedrug.Becausethedrugdepleteslargeamountsofthisimportantneurotransmitter,italsocontributestothenegativeaftereffectsthatusersoftenexperiencedaysafteruse.
Ketaminedisruptsthefunctioningofreceptorsfortheneurotransmitterglutamate,knownasNMDA(N-methyl-D-aspartate)receptors.Thiscancausethestuporobservedinapersonwhohasusedketamineaswellasproblemswithlearning,memory,awareness,andjudgment.Ketaminecanalsodisrupttheactionsoftheneurotransmitterdopamine.
Preparation/Introduction
Preparation
88
ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationaboutdrugsinthenews.
ProvidestudentswiththeModule6magazineDrugsintheNewsforbackgroundknowledge.
Determinewhichactivitiesyouwanttheclasstocomplete.
Arrangeforcomputerlabtimeorpreparetheclassroomcomputerforstudents’InternetandCD-ROMuse.
PhotocopyandpassouttheDrugsintheNewsFactSheetforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.
Preparetransparenciesandphotocopiesforthelesson.
Introduction
Time:15-20minutes
Handouts:Module6magazine(PDF,12.8MB)
DrugsintheNewsFactSheet(PDF,668KB)(Page25inthepdf)
Beforegivingstudentstimetoreviewthemagazine,beginwiththefollowingactivity.Leadadiscussionaboutdrugsinthenewsandothermediaoutlets.Askstudentswhatthey’vereadandseeninthemediaaboutsubstanceuseandaddiction.Specificallymentionthedrugsincludedinthismoduleandseewhetherstudentsarefamiliarwiththesethreesubstances.Liststudents’responsesonthechalkboard.
Reading:Givestudentsadequatetimetoreadthestudentmagazine.Havethempayparticularattentiontothefollowingsections:Background,StatsandFacts,andScienceintheSpotlight.
89
Discussion:Insmallgroups,havestudentsdiscusstheinformationusingthefollowingquestions.Then,bringthegroupstogetheranddiscussasaclass.Reviewtheeffectsofthedrugs,howthedrugsareused,howthedrugsactinthebrain,andwhythesedrugsappearsoofteninthemedia.
Tellstudentsthatonegoalofthislessonistohelpthemlearnhowindividuals,families,andthecommunityareaffectedbydrugsofabuse.Asecondgoalistogivestudentstheskillstocriticallyanalyzehowthemediacoversinformationaboutdrugsofabuse.
DrugsintheNews
Whyarethesedrugsillegal?
Whatpartsofthebrainareaffectedbysteroids?Methamphetamine?Otherclubdrugs?
Whataretheriskstoanindividualwhomayusethesedrugs?
Whatistheimpactofthesedrugsoncommunities?
Whydothesedrugsappearsoofteninthemedia?
Isthemediacoverageofdrugsbalanced?Havestudentsseenbothpositiveandnegativeinformationpresentedwhendrugsarediscussed?
Howdoestheinformationtheyhavereadinthemediacomparetotheinformationinthefactsheet
Activities
Activity1:BrainMessages
90
Time:45minutes
Supplies:Onelargepieceofbutcher-blockpaperpergroup
Markers/crayons/pencils
Handouts:MediaChart(PDF,668KB)(Page29inthepdf)
Afterpresentingtheinformationonthefactsheet,announcethesixthandfinalactivityofthecompetition.Remindstudentswhichgroupstheyarein.Havestudentssitwiththeirgroups.
Inthisactivity,studentswillearnpointsfortheirgroupsbymonitoringthemedia—newspapers,TV,andmagazines—forinformationaboutlegalandillegaldrugsthathavebeencoveredbytheBrainPower!curriculum.Encouragestudentstobringininformationtheyfindaboutdrugsinthenewstosharewiththerestoftheclass.Awardpointsforboththeamountandthequalityoftheinformationthegroupsfind.Developyourownplanforawardingpoints,orusethisone:
Onepointperarticle(ordescriptionofTVcommercialorshow)thatdiscussesdruguse.
Twopointsifthearticlediscussestheimpactofthedrugonthebrainandbody.
Threepointsperarticleifthestudentcanidentifyanimbalanceinthepresentationoftheinformation,asinamediapiecethatlacksscientificbackgroundorpresentsfalseorsensationalinformation.
UsetheMediaChartprovidedtotracktheteams’progressastheygatherthisinformationandpresentittotheirclassmates.Runthecompetitionforafewdaysoraweek.EncourageconversationaboutthetopicsthatthestudentspresenttosupporttheintegrationofalltheinformationcoveredintheBrain
91
Power!curriculum.Dostudentsrealizethataccurateinformationcansupporthealthydecision-making?Aretheyawareoftheroleofthemediaindisseminatingthisinformation?
RecordgrouppointsontheGroupScorecard.
Activity2:ScavengerHunt
Time:45minutes
Supplies:Computerforresearch
Penorpencil
Handouts:RippleEffects(PDF,668KB)(Page27inthepdf)
Methamphetamineuse,liketheuseofotherdrugs,impactsbothindividualsandsociety.Forthisfinalactivity,studentswillexplorehowmethamphetamineusehasarippleeffectthroughoutsociety.
UsingtheWebsitesprovidedasastartingpoint,havestudentsresearchtheprevalenceofmethamphetamineandtheconsequencesofitsproduction,distribution,anduse.HavestudentscompletethediagramontheRippleEffectshandout,listingwaysinwhichmethamphetamineaffectsmultiplelayersofsociety—fromindividualstofamiliestocommunities.StudentsshoulduseinformationfromtheWebsitesbelowandotherstojustifytheirresponses.Then,havestudentsbrainstormwaystopreventorimprovetheproblemsoneachtier.TheimagebelowrepresentstheRippleEffect.
Priortotheactivity,addthesesitestotheclassroomcomputer’s“Favorites”drop-downmenu.Ifneedbe,theactivitycanbespreadacrossafewday’stimebyhavingonegroupatatimeaccessthecomputerforresearchtimewhilethe
92
restoftheclasscompletesotherwork.
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/educators/curricula-and-lesson-plans/mind-over-matter/methamphetamine
www.intheknowzone.com/meth/community.htm
Room6(OnlineVersion)*
Includesgamesandmaterialstosupplementtheinformationpresentedinthemodule.Theroomlabeled“6”containsthefollowingactivitiesandspecificinformationpertainingtothismodule:
LearningObjectives:thesearepresentedatthebeginningofeachCD-ROMmodule
Example:fortheindividual,responsesmayincludeaddiction,healthproblems,lossofjob,andjailtime;forthefamily,responsescouldincludeviolence,poverty,childabuse,andneglect;forthecommunity,responsesmightbecrimeandpollution.
93
BrainScanFiles:inthisactivity,studentsviewbrainscanimagestoseethedamagingeffectsofvariousdrugsonthebrain
MethamphetamineandSportsNewsDailyArticle:inspiredbynewsheadlines,thearticlesdiscussthebroadimpactofmethamphetamineandsteroiduse
MemoryGame:studentsmatchvocabularywordsfromthemoduleinthismemory-basedgame
BeattheClock:inthisgame,studentsracetoselectthetermsthatcorrectlyrelatetothedrugsdiscussedinthemodule
ModuleQuiz:thisquizisthefinalpartofthemodule,intendedtoassessstudents’learning
*AdobeFlashplayerrequiredtoview.
Extensions
1. Someprofessionalathleteshaveruinedtheirreputationsandcareerswhenroutinedrugtestingrevealedthattheyhadbeenusinganabolicsteroids.Havestudentsdecideiftheysupport(pro)ordisagreewith(con)routinedrugtestsforathletes.Haveeachside(proandcon)presenttheirmainpointstotheclass.Makesurestudentsemphasizethebrainandbodyeffectsofthedrugandhowthisinformationshouldbeconsideredinthedebate.
2. HaveeachstudentaccessthedatafromtheMonitoringtheFuturenationalsurveyonline.Askstudentstorecordatleastoneteendrugfactobtainedfromthesite;observewhatinformationstudentswereabletopullfromthetextandchartsthatareatahigherreadinglevel.
Assessment
Asstudentscompletetheactivitiesinthemodule,observewhethertheyhavemasteredthefollowing:
94
1. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofmethamphetamineinthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangescanresultinaddiction?
2. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofsteroidsinthebrain?Cantheyexplainthedramaticeffectsthedrugcanhaveonthebody?
3. CanstudentslisttheseriouseffectsofMDMAabuse?
4. Canstudentslistthetypesofdaterapedrugsandtheireffectsonthebrainandbody?Dotheyrealizetheprevalenceofthesedrugsinsociety?
5. Dostudentsrecognizetheprevalenceofinformationondrugsinthenews?Canstudentsarticulatewhydrugabuseissuchanimportanttopicforthemedia?
6. Havestudentsbecomemorecriticalconsumersofinformationaboutdrugsofabuse?Aretheyabletorecognizeinaccuracyorimbalanceinnewscoverage,ifpresent?
Resources
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)301-443-1124ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseaswellassectionsdesignedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
MindOverMatterTeacher’sGuideThisprintable/downloadableteacher’sguideaccompaniesNIDA’sMindOverMatterseries.Theseriesisdesignedtoeducateteensaboutthebiologicaleffectsofdrugabuseonthebodyandbrain.
NIDADrugPubsResearchDisseminationCenter877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644;TTY/TDD:240-645-0228)OrderourmaterialsfreeofchargeinEnglishorSpanish.
95
ResourcesforStudents
MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includingmethamphetamineandsteroids,affectthebrain.Thesitealsoincludesateacher’sguide.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.
NIDAforTeensDesignedforteens,thissiteprovidesinformationonseveraldrugs,includingsteroids,aswellasquizzesandreal-lifestories.
AbovetheInfluenceDesignedforteens,thissitecoverstherisksandconsequencesofvariousdrugsandprovidesnews,advice,andreal-lifestories.
DateRapeDrugs.Kehner,G.B.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2004.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Discussesthehistory,effects,usagetrends,andotherinformationaboutGHB,Rohypnol,andketamine.
BodyEnhancementProducts.Santella,T.M.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2005.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Discussesthehealthrisksofsteroidsandotherbodyenhancementproducts.
96
Materials/Contact
ContactInformation
ForquestionsregardingNIDA'sScienceEducationProgramandMaterials,emailNIDAInfo.
Handouts
Module1:AnIntroductiontotheBrainandNervousSystem
Module1Magazine(PDF,10.4MB)
Module1Handouts(PDF,129KB)
Module1Handouts(Spanish,PDF,89KB)
Student/TeacherWorksheets(PDF,668KB)(Pages2-7)
ParentGuide(PDF,330KB)
ParentGuide(Spanish,PDF,1.55MB)
Module2:LegalDoesn’tMeanHarmless
Module2Magazine(PDF,2MB)
Module2Handouts(PDF,97KB)
Student/TeacherWorksheets(PDF,668KB)(Pages8-13)
ParentGuide(PDF,330KB)
ParentGuide(Spanish,PDF,1.55MB)
Module3:DrugsintheCupboard
97
Module3Magazine(PDF,4.3MB)
Student/TeacherWorksheets(PDF,668KB)(Pages14,15)
ParentGuide(PDF,92KB)
ParentGuide(Spanish,PDF,62KB)
Module4:WeedingOuttheGrass
Module4Magazine(PDF,6.8MB)
Student/TeacherWorksheets(PDF,668KB)(Pages16-22)
ParentGuide(PDF,70KB)
ParentGuide(Spanish,PDF,65KB)
Module5:DrugsontheStreet
Module5Magazine(PDF,7MB)
Student/TeacherWorksheets(PDF,668KB)(Pages22,23)
ParentGuide(PDF,120KB)
ParentGuide(Spanish,PDF,119KB)
Module6:DrugsintheNews
Module6Magazine(PDF,12.8MB)
Student/TeacherWorksheets(PDF,668KB)(Pages24-30)
ParentGuide(PDF,91KB)
ParentGuide(Spanish,PDF,105KB)
T-shirts,Stickers,andButtons
98
HowdoImakeaT-shirt?
1. Askchildrentohavetheirparentsfindaplainwhitet-shirtorothercottonitemthattheycanusefortheiron-on.
2. Pickupiron-onink-jettransferpaperatyourlocalcraftorofficesupplystore.Chooseopaquetransferpaperfordark-coloreditemsandtransparenttransferpaperforlight-coloreditems.Transparenttransferpapermayhelpavoidwhiteoutlinesaroundartwork.Alwaysreadtheinstructionsthatcomewiththetransferpaper.
3. Downloadthefreeartwork.
4. Useaninkjetprintertoprintthedownloadedartworkontothetransferpaper.Theartworkcomesasatwo-pagePDFdocument.Pageoneisaflipped,mirrorimage(backwards)ofthedesign.Pagetwoisaregular(straightforward)non-flippedimage.
DownloadPDF(2MB)
99
5. Useanordinaryirontotransferthedesignontotheitem.Usecaution,theironwillbeveryhot.
HowdoIprintthestickers?
1. Pickupsomeblankwhitelabelspaperatyourlocalcraftorofficesupplystore.
2. Downloadthefreeartwork.
3. Placethedownloadedartworkontoyourlabelsandresizethearttofityourlabel.
4. Useanink-jetprintertoprintyourdownloadeddesignontothelabels.Besuretoreadtheinstructionsthatcomewiththelabels.
OnlineActivities
Activitiescanbeusedasanenriching,learningtooltoreinforceinformationcoveredinthelesson.Werecommendthattheseactivitiesbeusedafterthelessoniscompleted,eitherimmediatelyafterorastimeallowsintheclassroomschedule.
Download
Recommended