Effects of Drugs on the Nervous System

...this comes from http://www.neurosurgery.org

Prepared by Joan K. McLaughlin-Johnston

Students are very interested in learning about the effects of specific substances upon their bodies. Do specific chemicals stimulate or inhibit normal neurologic response? Can we find out without using ourselves as guinea pigs? Sure!

There are a number of "safe" labs that students can perform in their science classes on this topic. An activity that has been very successfully utilized in our school's tenth grade Topics in Medicine elective is Daphnia on Drugs.

Topics for Students

• An interactive, fun site for everything you ever wanted to know about the brain and nervous system Neuroscience for Kids.

• A review of specific vocabulary on the topic can be found inGlossary of neurological terms..

• Here's a great picture of a transversely dissected human brain.

• Students will be mesmerized by Blind Spot.

Topics for Teachers

• An informative and interesting site onDrugs, Brain and Behavior

• The Developmental Biology Group is interested in how genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors influence pre- and postnatal development.

• Teachers will love Tricks of the Eye.

• An excellent cartoon presentation of the The Primary Somatosensory Cortex can be found at this site.

The Eight Intelligences Link, some thoughts on diversity for this lesson.

...this comes from http://www.neurosurgery.org