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Explore This Topic

CHECK YOUR UDNERSTANDING

A. Take a quick neuron review test.

B. Play the Interactive Lost Synapse game.

Directions:

1. When the forward arrow on the right appears click it to read the chat notes from the aliens until the feather appears.

2. Move the feather under the farmer’s nose and click on it until the farmer wakes up.

3. Then keep clicking the forward arrow and ok when needed to review neurons.

4. After the farmer is cloned a box appears with the corrupted message (fill-in-the-blank paragraph – synapse text). You will see a little box in the upper right corner.

5. Click that box and another box appears with a word list of choices to fill in the blanks.

6. Click and Drag a word from that box into the correct place in the picture and the blank in the sentence will automatically fill in with that word if it is correct.

7. Follow the directions in the chat and keep clicking on the forward arrow.

C. Video Discussion Questions

The following questions accompany this lesson. The answers are given below each question. To reveal an answer, place the cursor over "REVEAL THE ANSWER".

1. In the video presentation, Dr. Joan Stiles said that the brain is an “intricate blend of nature and nurture”. Explain what she meant by that.
   

2. Dr. Stiles said “the final functional areas of the brain depend on use”. Both the child and the adult experienced language effects from a stroke but the effects were different. What was the child able to do after a lot of practice and therapy that the adult could not? What might be the reason for this?
   

3. A researcher at the University of Illinois designed an enriched rat cage where rats had interesting things to do. His graduate students changed the environment often. Older rats that were placed in this enriched cage after spending time in the plain boring rat cage experienced more synapses per neuron in their brains than did rats left in the regular boring cage. This was interpreted to mean they might be getting smarter.

   What might that mean for students who grow up in poverty and then transfer to a more enriched learning environment?
   

 

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EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN

Activity A. The Incredible Mammal Brain

1. Read these mammal descriptions and choose one that you find interesting.

2. Use information from this website and the descriptions to create what you think the brain of your mammal looks like.

3. Make a few sketches of ideas for the structure of the brain of your mammal.

4. Construct the brain out of colored play dough (refer to the recipe in the Teacher Resources section) or make a drawing.

   Include at least the following:

   - Cerebral Cortex
   - Frontal Lobes
   - Occipital Lobes
   - Parietal Lobes
   - Temporal Lobes
   - Cerebellum
   - Brain Stem
   

5. In a descriptive paragraph justify how you decided to shape the brain by the characteristics of your mammal. Refer to the specific brain structures and their functions in your paragraph.

6. When you are finished, compare the brain you have made to the real brain of that mammal. Referring to the sections of the brain, describe how the brain you created for your mammal was different from and similar to the real thing. Refer to the brain parts list above in your description. Use this website to see mammal brain pictures. The animal numbers listed above in the animal descriptions correspond to the numbers at the website.

Activity B. Case Studies

Use the brain information from the websites provided below to determine which parts of the brain may have been affected in each of the following case studies. The answers are given below each question. To reveal an answer, place the cursor over "REVEAL THE ANSWER".

1. Case #1: Judi was in a car accident in which she suffered a blow to the back of her head. Afterwards she demonstrated an extreme lack of the fear response and had to be restrained from walking out into traffic. What part of the brain was affected?
   Visit Website
   

2. Case #2: Jennifer, once an A student, is a junior in high school and has been drinking at parties for the last two years. She is now experiencing learning and memory problems in school. Could these be the result of brain damage and what part of the brain could be damaged?
   Visit Website #1
   Visit Website #2
   

3. Case #3: Jamal refuses to say what he was doing but he presents to the doctor the following symptoms and you must decide if he is just acting like a teen or has brain damage:

   Arms and legs do not feel strong - motor function impaired

   Cannot decide where to put the key to open the car door - diminished problem solving

   Does not remember making the soccer goal - memory gaps

   Talks incessantly but unintelligibly - language problems

   Decided on the spur of the moment to take a walk in the snow without a coat - diminished judgment and impulse control

   Became sexually active without conscious decision - impulsive social and sexual behavior

   Must consciously decide to smile – does not smile spontaneously

   Visit Website
   

4. Case #4: James slips on ice covering the walkway in front of his house and hits very hard on his back and head. There is no damage to his face but he is suddenly blind. What part of the brain has been affected?
   Visit Website
   

5. Case #5: One Sunday afternoon, Ashley and Tyrone were playing soccer with their friends in a local park. They were not wearing soccer helmets and hit heads very hard while going after the ball. They both had a brief loss of consciousness and felt dizzy. Monday morning they could not remember the answers to some history test questions. Did they forget to study or did they have brain damage and to what part of the brain?
   Visit Website #1
   Visit Website #2