National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Brain Power ... · Read the Background section of this module for more information about the brain and neurotransmission. Provide students

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NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)

BrainPower:Grades6-9

LastUpdatedJune2007https://www.drugabuse.gov

https://www.drugabuse.gov/

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TableofContents

BrainPower:Grades6-9

AnIntroductiontotheBrainandNervousSystem(Module1)

LegalDoesn'tMeanHarmless(Module2)

DrugsintheCupboard(Module3)

WeedingOuttheGrass(Module4)

DrugsontheStreet(Module5)

DrugsintheNews(Module6)

Materials/Contact

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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.

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/mod1_69.pdf

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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.

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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.

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Hypothalamus

Thehypothalamusissituateddeepinsidethecenterofthebrain.Thehypothalamuslinksthenervoussystemtotheendocrinesystembyproducingandreleasinghormones.Theendocrinesystemismadeupofglandsthatregulate,coordinate,andcontrolhormones.Thehypothalamusregulatesbodytemperature,hunger,andthirst.

Cerebellum

Thecerebellumislocatedatthebackoftheheadnearthespine.Itcontrolsposture,movement,andthesenseofbalance.Playingball,pickingupobjects,andplayingmusicalinstrumentsareamongtheactivitiesthatfallunderthecontrolofthecerebellum.

BrainStem

Thebrainstem,themostprimitivepartofthebrain,connectsthebraintothe

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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

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abovearecomposedofneurons-almost100billionneuronstotal!

Aneuronhasthreemainparts.Thecellbodydirectsalltheneuron'sactivities.Dendrites,shortbranchesthatextendoutfromthecellbody,receivemessagesfromotherneuronsandpassthemontothecellbody.Anaxonisalongfiberthattransmitsmessagesfromthecellbodytothedendritesofotherneuronsortoothertissuesinthebody,suchasmuscles.Aprotectivecovering,calledthemyelinsheath,coverstheaxonsofmanyneurons.Myelininsulatestheaxonsandhelpsmessagesfromnervesignalstravelfaster,farther,andmoreefficiently.

Neurotransmission

Theexchangeofinformationbetweentheaxonofoneneuronandthedendritesofanotherneuroniscalledneurotransmission.Neurotransmissiontakesplacethroughthereleaseofchemicalsintothespacebetweentheaxonofthefirstneuronandthedendritesofthesecondneuron.Thesechemicalsarecalledneurotransmitters.Thespacebetweentheaxonandthedendriteiscalledasynapse.

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Whenneuronscommunicate,anelectricalimpulsetravelingdowntheaxoncausesneurotransmitterstobereleasedfromtheendoftheaxonintothesynapse.Theneurotransmitterscrossthesynapseandbindtospecialmolecules,calledreceptors,onthedendriteofthesecondneuron.Receptorsarefoundonthedendritesandcellbodiesofallneurons.Thereceptorsconverttheinformationintochemicalorelectricalsignalswhicharethentransmittedtothecellbodyandeventuallytotheaxon.Theaxonthencarriesthesignaltoanotherneuronortobodytissuessuchasmuscles.

Onceaneurotransmitterbindstoareceptor,aseriesofeventsfollow.First,themessagecarriedbytheneurotransmitterispassedontothereceivingneuron.Second,theneurotransmitterisinactivated.Itiseitherbrokendownbyanenzymeorreabsorbedbytheaxonfromwhichitwasreleased.Othermolecules,calledtransportermolecules,completethisreabsorptionprocess.Thesemoleculesarelocatedinthecellmembranesoftheaxonthatreleasestheneurotransmitters.Theypickupspecificneurotransmittersfromthesynapseandcarrythembackacrossthecellmembraneandintotheaxon,wheretheyarerecycledforuseatalatertime.Notethatthisprocessistrueformostneurotransmitters,butnotforallofthem.

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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

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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?

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/mag1_69.pdf

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/worksheets.pdf

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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.


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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


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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

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/brain-power/grades-6-9/materialscontact/cd-rom-activities-online-version

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*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.

http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer.html

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/hist.html

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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


https://drugpubs.drugabuse.gov/

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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.

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Know-Your-Brain

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html

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LegalDoesn'tMeanHarmless(Module2)


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


Studentscanexplainhownicotinedisruptsneurotransmission.


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Studentscanexplainhowalcoholusemayharmthebrainandthebody.

Studentsunderstandhowalcoholcanintensifytheeffectofotherdrugs.

Studentscandefineaddictionandunderstanditsbasisinthebrain.

Studentsdrawconclusionsaboutwhyoursocietyregulatestheuseofnicotineandalcoholforyoungpeople.


ThislessonalignswiththreestandardsintheNSES:risksandbenefits;personalhealth;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelowshowshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.

ScienceinPersonal&SocialPerspectives


RisksandbenefitsPersonalhealth

Studentslearnabouttheshort-andlong-termeffectsofnicotineandalcohol.Thesedrugscanchangehowthebodyandbrainfunctionandcanleadtoaddiction.Studentscanusethisinformationinmakingdecisionsthataffecttheirownhealth.

LifeScience



Studentswilllearnhownicotineandalcoholactinspecificpartsofthebraintoalterthefunctioningofneurons.Theywilllearnthatthesedrugsultimatelyaffecttheentirebrainandbody.

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Background

Nicotine

Nicotineisastimulantdrugfoundincigarettes,cigars,pipetobacco,andsmokelesstobacco.Nicotineishighlyaddictive;infact,itisasaddictiveasheroinandcocaine.Nicotinereachesthebrainwithin8secondsofinhalation.Itseffectsonthebodyincludeincreasedheartrateandbloodpressure,increasedalertness,andreducedappetite.

Althoughnicotineisanaddictivesubstance,itisactuallythetobaccoinnicotineproductsthatcancausedeadlycancers.Smokingandchewingtobaccocancausecancerofthelungs,throat,andmouth.

NicotineandNeurotransmitters

Nicotinedisruptsthenormalrelationshipbetweentheneurotransmitteracetylcholineandthereceptorsacetylcholinebindsto.Thesechangesinthebrain,detailedherewithdiagrams,canleadtoaddiction.

Normalacetylcholineandreceptors

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Nicotineaffectstheneurotransmitteracetylcholineanditsreceptor.Thisreceptorislocatedinmanybrainstructuresandbodyorgans.Itcarriesmessagesrelatedtorespiration,heartrate,memory,alertness,andmusclemovement.

Toomanychemicalsinthesynapse

Becausenicotineisshapedsimilarlytoacetylcholine,itcanfitinthesamereceptorsandactjustlikeacetylcholine.Afterrepeateduseofnicotine,thereismoreactivityattheacetylcholinereceptorsthanusualbecausethereceptorsarebeingactivatedbybothacetylcholineandnicotine.

Lessacetylcholineandfewerreceptors

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Thischangeinbalancecausesthebrainto“think”thereistoomuchacetylcholineandreactbyreducingthenumberofreceptorsandreleasinglessacetylcholineintothesynapse.Thebrainnowneedsnicotinetomaintainnormalfunctioning.

Notenoughacetylcholineandreceptors

Thesechangesinthebraincauseanicotineusertofeelabnormalwhennotusingnicotine.Inordertofeelnormal,theuserhastokeephisorherbodysuppliedwithnicotine.Thisisaddiction.Ifthepersonstopsusingnicotine,thenumberofreceptorsandtheirsensitivitytoacetylcholinewilleventuallybereestablished,butonlyaftersometime.

Nicotinealsoactivatestherewardcircuitsthatarepartofthelimbicsystem,producingapleasurablefeeling,aswellascausingasurgeoftheneurotransmitterdopamineinthesecircuits,whichprodsthepersontowanttorepeatbehaviorsthatcausedpleasurebefore.Thiseffectondopamineispartofwhatmakesmanydrugslikenicotinesoaddictive.

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Nicotineusealsocausesadecreaseinanenzymethatisresponsibleforbreakingdowndopamine.Thedecreaseinthisenzymeresultsinhigher-than-normaldopaminelevels.Becauseoftheseeffectsondopamine,smokershavepowerfullylearnedtoassociatethegoodfeelingsfromsmokingnotonlywithcigarettesthemselvesbutalsowiththingsthatremindthemofcigarettes(cues).

WithdrawalfromNicotineandNicotineReplacementTherapy

Withdrawalsymptomsaretheuncomfortablefeelingsadruguserexperiencesafterheorshehasstoppedtakingadrug.Apersonwhoistryingtostopusingnicotinemaybeshaky,havesleepingproblems,experienceincreasedappetite,andfeeluncomfortable,irritable,andlessalert.Theseunpleasantsymptomscanpreventmanysmokersfromquitting.

Nicotinereplacementtherapy,likethenicotinepatchandgum,hashelpedmanysmokersquit.Theseproductsgraduallyreducetheamountofnicotineinthebrainsothatthesmokerdoesnotexperiencethenegativeeffectsofasuddendropinnicotinelevels.Afterthebrainhasadjustedtonicotinereductionorloss,thewithdrawalsymptomscandiminishorgoaway.

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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

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(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.

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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.

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Preparation

ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationabouttheeffectsofnicotineandalcoholonthebrainandbody.

ProvidestudentswiththeModule2magazineLegalDoesn’tMeanHarmlessforbackgroundknowledge.


Arrangeforcomputerlabtimeorpreparetheclassroomcomputerforstudents’InternetandCD-ROMuse.

Photocopyandpassoutthe“NicotineandtheBrain”andthe“AlcoholandtheBrain”worksheetsforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.


CutoutpuzzlepiecesforActivity1.

Introduction

Beforegivingstudentstimetoreviewthemagazine,beginwiththefollowingactivity.Workingasaclassorinsmallgroups,askstudentstogeneratealistofallthedrugsandmedicinestheycanthinkofin2minutes.Thenreviewstudents’listsandcircleallthedrugsthatarelegal.*Askstudentstoshareexamplesfromtheirlists.Providetheseimportantdefinitions:

Adrugisanysubstancethatchangesthewaythebodyorbrainfunctions.

Somedrugsarelegalforadultsbutillegalforchildrenandteens.Otherdrugs,suchascocaine,areillegalforeveryone.

Themostwidelyusedlegaldrugsforadultsarealcoholandnicotine,whichisfoundintobacco.

Tellstudentsthatthegoalofthislessonistolearnabouthownicotineand

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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?

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/brain-power/grades-6-9/drugs-in-cupboard-module-3


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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.



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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?


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Aretheconsequencesofunderagedrinkingshown?

Howaretheeffectsofalcoholonthebrainandbodydepicted?


Includesgamesandmaterialstosupplementtheinformationpresentedinthemodule.Theroomlabeled“2”containsthefollowingactivitiesandspecificinformationpertainingtothismodule:


MeetAcetylcholine:anintroductiontotheacetylcholineneurotransmitter,andhownicotineusesthesamereceptors

NicotineKnockout:agameinwhichplayersmuststopnicotinefromgettingtothereceptors

ChalkboardFacts:thisisalistingoffactsabouthowalcoholaffectsadevelopingbrain

Inter-lobeLoop:aninteractivequizwherestudents“travel”throughthebrainandanswerquestionsabouthowalcoholaffectsdifferentbrainparts

ModuleQuiz:thisquizisthefinalpartofthemodule,intendedtoassessstudents’learning


Extensions

1. TheBrainPower!magazineprovidesatimelineofsomeofthemajoreventsinthehistoryofalcohol.Developasimilartimelinefortobacco.Thetimelineshouldtracepeople’sgrowingunderstandingoftheimpactoftobaccoonpublichealthintheUnitedStates,fromthefoundingofthecoloniestothepresentday.Whataresomecurrenttopicsinthenewsrelatedtotobacco,smoking,andnicotine?



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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,

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tobaccowater,oralcohol.

Experiment

1. Labeleachplantwiththesubstancewithwhichitwillbefed(Figure1).

2. Witharuler,measure1inchfromthebottomoftheclearplasticcupsanddrawaline.Tofeedtheplants,fillthecupsonlytothelinesothateachplantreceivesthesameamountoffood(Figure2).Onlyteachersshouldhandlethealcoholandtobacco.

3. Labeloneofthecups“Tobacco.”Thiscupwillbeusedforthetobaccowateronly.

4. Every3daysfor3weeks,dothefollowing:

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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

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oftheplantsgrowmorethanothers?Didanyoftheplantsdie?Whatconclusionscanyoudrawfromtheappearanceoftheplants?Discusstheresultsoftheexperiment.Ifthesesubstanceshurt,ormaybeevenkilled,theplants,whatwouldhappenifapersonusednicotine,alcohol,orcaffeine?


1. Canstudentsdescribetheeffectsofnicotineonthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangesoftenresultinaddiction?

2. Canstudentsdescribetheeffectsofalcoholinthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangesmayresultinaddiction?

3. Canstudentslistwithdrawalsymptomsofnicotineandalcohol?Dotheyunderstandtheconnectionbetweenthesesymptomsandhowthebrainchangesasaresultoftheuseofthesesubstances?

4. Canstudentsprovideascientificjustificationforthelawsagainsttheuseofnicotineandalcoholbyyoungpeople?

5. Didstudentsparticipateinclassactivitiesanddiscussion?Didtheyengageinthetopic?

Assessment


1. Canstudentsdescribetheeffectsofnicotineonthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangesoftenresultinaddiction?

2. Canstudentsdescribetheeffectsofalcoholinthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangesmayresultinaddiction?

3. Canstudentslistwithdrawalsymptomsofnicotineandalcohol?Dothey

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understandtheconnectionbetweenthesesymptomsandhowthebrainchangesasaresultoftheuseofthesesubstances?

4. Canstudentsprovideascientificjustificationforthelawsagainsttheuseofnicotineandalcoholbyyoungpeople?

5. Didstudentsparticipateinclassactivitiesanddiscussion?Didtheyengageinthetopic?

Resources



MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includingnicotine,affectthebrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.


NationalInstituteonAlcoholAbuseandAlcoholismAusefultoolforeducators,thissitedetailsthelatestresearch,andprovidesinformation,publications,andnewsreleasesonalcoholuseandabuse.

Buzzed:TheStraightFactsAbouttheMostUsedandAbusedDrugsfromAlcoholtoEcstasy.Kuhn,C.,Swartzwelder,S.andWilson,W.NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company,2003.Ahighlyinformative,detailed


http://teens.drugabuse.gov/mom/


http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/

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reviewofwidelyabuseddrugs.


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.

https://abovetheinfluence.com/


http://teens.drugabuse.gov/

https://www.samhsa.gov/too-smart-start

http://www.thecoolspot.gov/

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TheU.S.Governmentdoesnotendorseorfavoranyspecificcommercialproductorcompany.Trade,proprietary,orcompanynamesappearinginthispublicationareusedonlybecausetheyareconsideredessentialinthecontextofthestudiesdescribedhere.

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DrugsintheCupboard(Module3)


Summary

Thismoduleexplainshowprescriptiondrugsandsomehouseholdproductscandamagethebrainandbodywhenusedimproperly.Householdproductsarecalledinhalantswhentheyareabused.Thesedrugsareparticularlypronetomisusebecausetheyareoftenfoundinthehomeandareeasilyaccessible.Prescriptiondrugsandinhalantsarenotdangerouswhentheyareusedasintended.However,theycanleadtoserioussideeffects,evendeath,whenusedinappropriately.

LearningObjectives



Studentscanexplaintheeffectsofprescriptiondrugs.

Studentscanexplainhowprescriptiondrugsaffectthefunctioningofthebrainandbodywhennotusedproperly.

Studentsunderstandhowinhalantscanchangethebrain.

Studentsunderstandwhyitisimportanttousemedicationasinstructed.


ThislessonalignswiththreestandardsintheNSES:risksandbenefits;personalhealth;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelow


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showshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.




Studentslearnabouttheshort-andlong-termeffectsofabusingprescriptiondrugsandinhalants.Thesedrugscanchangehowthebodyandbrainfunctionandcanleadtoaddiction.Studentscanusethisinformationinmakingdecisionsthataffecttheirownhealth.

LifeScience



Studentswilllearnhowprescriptiondrugsandinhalantsactinspecificpartsofthebraintoalterthefunctioningofneurons.Theywilllearnthatthesedrugsultimatelyaffecttheentirebrainandbody.

Background

PrescriptionDrugs

Drugsprescribedbyaphysiciancanrelievepainandcontrolthesymptomsofmanydisordersanddiseases.Peoplewhouseprescriptiondrugsasdirectedbyadoctor(attheprescribeddoseandfortherecommendedlengthoftime)areatverylowriskforaddictionorothernegativesideeffects.However,intentionalmisuseofprescriptiondrugscanbedangerous.Threecommonlymisusedprescriptiondrugsareopioids,centralnervoussystem(CNS)depressants,andCNSstimulants.

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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

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feelingsofpleasure,higherbloodpressureandheartrate,andincreasedbloodglucoselevels.

ScientistsproposethatthereislessdopaminetransmissioninthebrainsofpersonswithADHDwhencomparedtootherindividuals.Becausestimulantscorrectthisshortfall,individualswithADHDbetterabletopayattentionandconcentratetheirfocusonatask.Itisprematuretodrawsolidconclusions,butstudiessofarhavenotshownadifferenceinlatersubstanceuseinyoungpeoplewithADHDtreatedwithprescriptionstimulantscomparedwiththosewhodidn'treceivesuchtreatment.ThissuggeststhattreatmentwithADHDmedicationdoesnotpositivelyornegativelyaffectaperson'sriskofdevelopingproblemuse.IndividualswhomisuseRitalinoftendosobytakingmorethanprescribed,takingpillsnotprescribedforthem,orbycrushingandthensnortingthetablets.Thiscauseswakefulnessandeuphoria.TheincreaseddopaminetransmissioncausedbyingestingRitalinreinforcesthebehavioroftakingthedrug,puttingauseratriskofaddiction.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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Peoplewhouseinhalantsoveralongperiodoftimefeelastrongurgetocontinueusingthem.Effectsoflong-termuseincludeweightloss,muscleweakness,disorientation,inattentiveness,lackofcoordination,irritability,anddepression.


Preparation

ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationabouttheeffectsofprescriptiondrugsandinhalantsonthebrainandbody.

ProvidestudentswiththeModule3magazineDrugsintheCupboardforbackgroundknowledge.



PhotocopyandpassoutthePrescriptionDrugs,Inhalants,andtheBrainFactSheetforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.


GathercoloredpaperforActivity1.

Introduction

Time:15-20minutes




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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)

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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)

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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



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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.




PillPoppers:anactivitywherestudentsmustmatchdrugeffectstothecorrectclassofprescriptiondrugs:depressants,stimulants,andopioids

SynapseSweep:agameinwhichplayersmustactquicklytogetridofthedrugsinthesynapsewhileavoidingtheneurotransmitters


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MyelinSleuth:anactivitywherestudentsfigureoutwhichneurononamicroscopeslideisfromaninhalantabuserandwhichisthehealthybraincell



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.


http://www.chadd.org/

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index.shtml

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Assessment


1. Dostudentsrealizetheimportanceoftakingprescriptionmedicationsonlyunderadoctor’sguidance?Dotheyunderstandtheeffectsthatprescriptiondrugscanhaveonthebrainandbodywhentakenimproperly?

2. Dostudentsunderstandthevarioustypesofprescriptionmedicationsandwhytheyareprescribed?DotheyunderstandthepossibleconsequencesofRitalinuseforsomeonewhodoesn’thaveADHD?

3. Canstudentsexplaintheconsequencesofprescriptiondruguseincombinationwithotherdrugs,suchasalcohol,antihistamines,orotherover-the-countermedications?

4. Canstudentslistsomewithdrawalsymptomsofinhalants?Dotheyunderstandtheconnectionbetweenthesesymptomsandhowthebrainchangesfromtheuseofinhalants?

5. Dostudentsunderstandtheshort-andlong-termeffectsofinhalantsonthebrainandbody?Dotheyrealizetheimpactofthesesymptomsonbrainfunctioning?

Resources



MindOverMatterTeacher’sGuideThisprintable/downloadableteacher’sguideaccompaniesNIDA’sMindOverMatterseries.Theseriesisdesignedtoeducateteensaboutthebiological


http://teens.drugabuse.gov/educators/curricula-and-lesson-plans/mom-teachers-guide

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effectsofdrugabuseonthebodyandbrain.


Buzzed:TheStraightFactsAbouttheMostUsedandAbusedDrugsfromAlcoholtoEcstasy.Kuhn,C.,Swartzwelder,S.,andWilson,W.NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company,2003.Ahighlyinformative,detailedreviewofwidelyabuseddrugs.


MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includinginhalantsandopioids,affectthebrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.


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



http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/

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brain,healtheffects,andusagetrends.Thisbookhelpsstudentsunderstandtheconnectionbetweentheseprescriptionpainrelieversandhowthebrainchangesasaresultoftheuseofthesesubstances.

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WeedingOuttheGrass(Module4)


Summary

MarijuanaisthemostcommonlyabusedillegaldrugintheUnitedStates.Nearlyhalfofallhighschoolstudentshaveusedmarijuana.Manychildrenandadolescents,andevenadults,thinkofitasaharmlessdrug,especiallywhencomparedtoheroin,cocaine,andevencigarettes.

Butmarijuanaishardlyharmless.Today’smarijuanais10to15timesstrongerthanitwasinthe1960s.Recentresearchisshowingthatthisdrughasastrongphysicalimpactonthebrainandbody.Becausetheirbrainsarestilldeveloping,itisparticularlyimportantforyoungpeopletounderstandtheeffectsofmarijuana.Thismoduleisdesignedtoteachstudentsabouttheseriouseffectsofmarijuana.

LearningObjectives


Studentscanexplaintheshort-andlong-termeffectsofmarijuanauseandtheseriousnessoftheseeffects.

StudentsunderstandhowTHC,theactiveingredientinmarijuana,disruptsneurotransmission.

Studentscanexplainhowmarijuanacanadverselyaffectthehippocampusandotherpartsofthebrain.



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ThislessonalignswiththreestandardsintheNSES:risksandbenefits;personalhealth;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelowshowshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.




Studentslearntheshort-andlong-termeffectsofusingmarijuana.Studentscanusethisinformationtoinfluencedecisionsthataffecttheirownhealth.



Studentswilllearnhowmarijuanaactsinthebrainandhowmarijuanacanultimatelyaffectthebrainandbody.

Background

Marijuana

Marijuanacomesfromthedriedleavesandflowersofthecannabisplant.Itcanbesmoked,cookedintobakedgoods,orbrewedintotea.Itcontainsmorethan400chemicals.Smokingmarijuana,likesmokingtobacco,canhavenegativeeffectsonthelungs.

Marijuanaalsohaspotentiallydangerousshort-termeffectsthatcanlastmorethan4hours.Inlowtomediumdoses,marijuanacancauserelaxation,reducedcoordination,reducedbloodpressure,sleepiness,attentionproblems,andanalteredsenseoftimeandspace.Inhighdoses,marijuanacancause

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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

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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

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theycandevelopatherapeuticdrugthatisfreeofTHC’snegativeconsequences.AnotherchemicalrelatedtoTHC,nabilone,hasbeenapprovedbytheU.S.FoodandDrugAdministrationfortreatingnauseaassociatedwithcancertreatment.Researchinthisimportantareacontinues.


Preparation

ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationabouttheeffectsofmarijuanaonthebrainandbody.

ProvidestudentswiththeModule4magazineWeedingOuttheGrassforbackgroundknowledge.


PhotocopyandpassouttheMarijuanaFactSheetforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.


PassoutcopiesoftheMarijuanaSurveyafewdaysaheadoftime.Giveeachstudent2-3copiesandinstructthemtohavesomefriendsfillthemoutanonymously.Tellthemnottolookatthepapersinrespectoftheirfriends’privacy.Collectthesurveyspriortotheclassperiodyouplantoteachthislessonandtallyuptheresponses.

Introduction

Time:15-20minutes



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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

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/mod4-teacher_bingo_sheet.pdf

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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

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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.



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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/




UsingAnimalsinResearch:ashortlessonontheethicaluseofanimalsandresearch,andwhythisuseisscientificallyimportant

RatTrap:afungamewhereplayersscrambletocaptureratsandreturnthemtotheircages

ReceptorSearch:studentslearnwhereTHCreceptorsarelocatedinthebrain,throughaninteractivegame

Experiment:MarijuanaandMemory:studentswillconductafullexperimenttolearntheeffectsmarijuanahasonmemory



Extensions

https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/marijuana

https://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/



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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


1. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofmarijuanaonthebrainandhowtheseeffectscanchangethebrain?

2. Dostudentsunderstandthescientificbasisforthelawsmakingmarijuanauseillegal?

3. Dostudentsunderstandhowmarijuanaaffectsneurotransmission?

4. Didstudentsparticipateintheclassactivitiesanddiscussion?Didtheyengageinthetopics?

Resources


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MindOverMatterTeacher’sGuideThisprintable/downloadableteacher’sguideaccompaniesNIDA’sMindOverMatterseries.Theseriesisdesignedtoeducateteensaboutthebiologicaleffectsofdrugabuseonthebodyandbrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.



NIDAforTeensDesignedforteens,thissiteprovidesinformationonseveraldrugs,includingmarijuana,aswellasquizzesandreal-lifestories.

MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includingmarijuana,affectthebrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.

AbovetheInfluenceDesignedforteens,thissitecoverstherisksandconsequencesofvarious







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drugsandprovidesnews,advice,andreal-lifestories.

Marijuana.Mehling,R.Philadelphia,PA:ChelseaHousePublishers,2003.Partofthe“Drugs:TheStraightFacts”series.Containsathoroughdiscussionofmarijuana,includinghowitactsinthebrain,history,healtheffects,usagetrends,andrelevantlaws.

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DrugsontheStreet(Module5)


Summary

Thismodulediscussestwoillegaldrugs:heroinandcocaine.Manypeopleconsidercocaineandherointobehard-core“street”drugs,butincreasingly,youngerpeopleinallkindsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryareusingthesedangerousdrugs.Heroinandcocainebothhaveahugeimpactonthehealthofthebrainandthebody.Useofthesedrugschangesthebrain.Bothareillegalandhighlyaddictive.Sometimesthesedrugsareusedincombination.

ThroughthecontentofthemagazineandCD-ROM,studentswilllearnhowheroinandcocaineaffectthebrainandbody.Theywillalsoexploreinformationontheshort-andlong-termeffectsofthesedrugs,includingaddiction.

LearningObjectives


Studentscanexplainhowheroinandcocaineuseaffectsthebrainandbody.

Studentscanexplainhowheroinandcocaineuseaffectsnormalneurotransmission.

Studentsunderstandhowheroinandcocainecanchangethebrainandcauseaddiction.



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Thelessoninmodule1alignswithtwostandardsintheNSES:systems,order,andorganization;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelowshowshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.




Studentslearntheshort-andlong-termaffectsofusingcocaineandheroin.Thesedrugscanchangehowthebodyandbrainfunctionandcanleadtoaddiction.Studentscanusethisinformationtoinfluencedecisionsthataffecttheirownhealth.



Studentswilllearnhowneurotransmissioniseffectedbycocaineandheroinandhowthesedrugsultimatelyaffecttheentirebrainandbody.

Background

Heroin

Heroinbelongstoaclassofdrugscalledopioids,whichalsoincludesthepainkillerscodeineandmorphine.HeroincomesfromanaturalsubstanceextractedfromtheseedpodoftheAsianpoppyplant.Itusuallyappearsasawhiteorbrownpowder.

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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

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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

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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

ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationabouttheeffectsofheroinandcocaineonthebrainandbody.

ProvidestudentswiththeModule5magazineDrugsontheStreetforbackgroundknowledge.



PhotocopyandpassouttheHeroinandCocaineFactSheetforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.

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Introduction

Time:20-25minutes


HeroinandCocaineFactSheet(PDF,668KB)(Page22inthepdf)


Discussion:Afterstudentshavereadthemagazine,askthestudentswhattheyknowaboutheroinandcocaine.Recordallthoughtsonthechalkboard.Tellthemthatthegoalofthislessonistolearnaboutcocaineandheroin.Facilitateadiscussionaboutthebrain,heroin,andcocaineusingthefollowingquestions.

Heroin

Howisheroinused?

Whatarethereceptorsinthebrainthatheroinbindsto?

Whatneurotransmitterismostaffectedbyheroinuse?

Howdoesthebrainchangeasaresultofheroinuse?

Whathappensinthebrainthatcausesheroinaddiction?

Cocaine

Howiscocaineused?



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Whataresomeoftheeffectsofcocaineonthecentralnervoussystem?

Whatneurotransmitterisaffectedbycocaine?

Howdoesthebrainchangeasaresultofcocaineuse?

Whatarethelong-termeffectsofcocaineuse?

Activities

Activity1:TargetingtheCentralNervousSystem

Time:30minutes

Supplies:Pencilandpaper


Tellstudentsthatthisisthefifthactivityoftheircompetitionandthegroupthathasthemostnumberofcompletebasewordswillearnfivepoints.Remindstudentswhichgroupstheyarein.Havestudentssitwiththeirgroups.

1. Havethestudentsreviewthemagazineforthismodule.Theyshouldfocusonhowheroinandcocaineaffectthecentralnervoussystem.

2. Haveeachgroupidentifyavocabularywordusedinthismodule.Thiswordwillbetheir“baseword”foranacronym.Thenhavestudentscomeupwithsupportingwordsbeginningwitheachletterinthebaseword.Thewordsmustdirectlyrelatetothebaseword.Forexample,ifthebasewordis“COCAINE,”thesupportingwordscouldbeCrack,Overdose,Craving,Anxiety,Insomnia,Nasaldamage,andEdginess.


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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

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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.

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cocaine

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/cocaine

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp

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4. Aftereachgrouphascompletedaposter,havethempresenttheirpostertotheclass.Askfollow-upquestionstoreinforceimportantinformation.




Experiment:HeroinandAddiction:studentswillconductanexperimenttoobservetheaddictivepropertiesofheroin

RatChow-lenge:afungamewhereplayersmustjumpovermovingratfoodcanstostraightentheshelvesinasupplycloset

NT210:CocaineintheBrain:thisanimatedlearningtooldetailshowcocainedisruptsnormalneurotransmission

CycleofAddiction:aninformativeposterwherestudentswilllearnaboutthestagesofaddiction



Extensions

1. Havestudentswriteashortparagraphonhowaddictiontoheroinorcocainechangesthebrain.Youcanassistthemwiththisbyreadingthroughtheteacher’sguidecontent.Then,haveeachstudentuniquelyillustratetheconceptsinacomic-bookstyle.Theycancreateneuroncharacters,neurotransmittersuperheroes(dopamine),andvillains(heroinorcocaine).

2. Explaintothestudentsthat“LetterstotheEditor”pagesinlocalnewspapers



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areanexcellentwayforpeopletogetmessagesoutaboutissuestheycareabout.HavestudentswritetheirownlettertoaneditorasaBrainPower!drugexpertabouttheimportanceofdrugeducationintheschools.

Assessment


1. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofheroinonthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangescanresultinaddiction?

2. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofcocaineinthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangescanresultinaddiction?

3. Dostudentsunderstandtheconnectionbetweenwithdrawalsymptomsandhowthebrainchangesfromtheuseofheroinandcocaine?

4. Dostudentsunderstandthedifferencesbetweentheeffectsofeachofthesedrugsonthebody?

5. Didstudentsparticipateinclassactivitiesanddiscussion?Didtheyengageinthetopics?

Resources






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MindOverMatterTeacher’sGuideThisprintable/downloadableteacher’sguideaccompaniesNIDA’sMindOverMatterseries.Theseriesisdesignedtoeducateteensaboutthebiologicaleffectsofdrugabuseonthebodyandbrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.



MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includingmarijuana,affectthebrain.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.


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.




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DrugsintheNews(Module6)


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


Studentscanexplaintheeffectsthatmethamphetamine,steroids,andmany


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common“clubdrugs”canhaveonthebrainandbody.

Studentsunderstandtherelationshipbetweentheeffectsofthesedrugsonthebrainandbodyandaddiction.

Studentsunderstandthedangersofthesedrugsandareawareoftheirpresenceinoursociety.

Studentscanidentifyandcriticallyanalyzemediainformationaboutmethamphetamine,steroids,and“clubdrugs.”


ThislessonalignswiththreestandardsintheNSES:risksandbenefits;personalandcommunityhealth;andstructureandfunctioninlivingsystems.Thechartbelowshowshowtheactivityalignswiththesestandards.



Risksandbenefits

Studentslearnabouttherisksassociatedwithseveraldrugsprevalentinoursociety.Studentscanusethisinformationtoassesstherisksandbenefitsthataffecttheirownhealth.

Personalandcommunityhealth

Studentslearnabouttheimpactthatdrugshaveonsocietyandhowthemediacaninfluenceattitudesaboutdrugs.Studentswillbecomemorecriticalconsumersofinformationandusetheirknowledgetomakebetterdecisions.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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).

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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

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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

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ReadtheBackgroundsectionofthismoduleformoreinformationaboutdrugsinthenews.

ProvidestudentswiththeModule6magazineDrugsintheNewsforbackgroundknowledge.



PhotocopyandpassouttheDrugsintheNewsFactSheetforstudentstocompleteduringthelecture.


Introduction

Time:15-20minutes


DrugsintheNewsFactSheet(PDF,668KB)(Page25inthepdf)

Beforegivingstudentstimetoreviewthemagazine,beginwiththefollowingactivity.Leadadiscussionaboutdrugsinthenewsandothermediaoutlets.Askstudentswhatthey’vereadandseeninthemediaaboutsubstanceuseandaddiction.Specificallymentionthedrugsincludedinthismoduleandseewhetherstudentsarefamiliarwiththesethreesubstances.Liststudents’responsesonthechalkboard.

Reading:Givestudentsadequatetimetoreadthestudentmagazine.Havethempayparticularattentiontothefollowingsections:Background,StatsandFacts,andScienceintheSpotlight.



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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

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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


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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


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restoftheclasscompletesotherwork.

http://teens.drugabuse.gov/educators/curricula-and-lesson-plans/mind-over-matter/methamphetamine

www.intheknowzone.com/meth/community.htm




Example:fortheindividual,responsesmayincludeaddiction,healthproblems,lossofjob,andjailtime;forthefamily,responsescouldincludeviolence,poverty,childabuse,andneglect;forthecommunity,responsesmightbecrimeandpollution.

http://teens.drugabuse.gov/educators/curricula-and-lesson-plans/mind-over-matter/methamphetamine

http://www.intheknowzone.com/meth/community.htm


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BrainScanFiles:inthisactivity,studentsviewbrainscanimagestoseethedamagingeffectsofvariousdrugsonthebrain

MethamphetamineandSportsNewsDailyArticle:inspiredbynewsheadlines,thearticlesdiscussthebroadimpactofmethamphetamineandsteroiduse

MemoryGame:studentsmatchvocabularywordsfromthemoduleinthismemory-basedgame

BeattheClock:inthisgame,studentsracetoselectthetermsthatcorrectlyrelatetothedrugsdiscussedinthemodule



Extensions

1. Someprofessionalathleteshaveruinedtheirreputationsandcareerswhenroutinedrugtestingrevealedthattheyhadbeenusinganabolicsteroids.Havestudentsdecideiftheysupport(pro)ordisagreewith(con)routinedrugtestsforathletes.Haveeachside(proandcon)presenttheirmainpointstotheclass.Makesurestudentsemphasizethebrainandbodyeffectsofthedrugandhowthisinformationshouldbeconsideredinthedebate.

2. HaveeachstudentaccessthedatafromtheMonitoringtheFuturenationalsurveyonline.Askstudentstorecordatleastoneteendrugfactobtainedfromthesite;observewhatinformationstudentswereabletopullfromthetextandchartsthatareatahigherreadinglevel.

Assessment



https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/monitoring-future-survey-high-school-youth-trends

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1. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofmethamphetamineinthebrain?Cantheyexplainhowthesechangescanresultinaddiction?

2. Canstudentsexplaintheeffectsofsteroidsinthebrain?Cantheyexplainthedramaticeffectsthedrugcanhaveonthebody?

3. CanstudentslisttheseriouseffectsofMDMAabuse?

4. Canstudentslistthetypesofdaterapedrugsandtheireffectsonthebrainandbody?Dotheyrealizetheprevalenceofthesedrugsinsociety?

5. Dostudentsrecognizetheprevalenceofinformationondrugsinthenews?Canstudentsarticulatewhydrugabuseissuchanimportanttopicforthemedia?

6. Havestudentsbecomemorecriticalconsumersofinformationaboutdrugsofabuse?Aretheyabletorecognizeinaccuracyorimbalanceinnewscoverage,ifpresent?

Resources



MindOverMatterTeacher’sGuideThisprintable/downloadableteacher’sguideaccompaniesNIDA’sMindOverMatterseries.Theseriesisdesignedtoeducateteensaboutthebiologicaleffectsofdrugabuseonthebodyandbrain.





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MindOverMatterDesignedforteens,thissiteincludesinformationabouthowdifferentdrugs,includingmethamphetamineandsteroids,affectthebrain.Thesitealsoincludesateacher’sguide.Alsoavailableforfreebycalling1-800-729-6686.

NIDAforTeensDesignedforteens,thissiteprovidesinformationonseveraldrugs,includingsteroids,aswellasquizzesandreal-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.




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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)



ParentGuide(Spanish,PDF,1.55MB)

Module3:DrugsintheCupboard

mailto:[email protected]


https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/mod1handouts_69_eng.pdf

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/mod1handouts_69_esp.pdf


https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/parentguidemod1_69.pdf

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/parentguidemod1sp_69.pdf


https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/mod2handouts_69.pdf


https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/parentguidemod2_69_0.pdf

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/parentguidemod2sp_69_0.pdf

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Student/TeacherWorksheets(PDF,668KB)(Pages14,15)


ParentGuide(Spanish,PDF,62KB)

Module4:WeedingOuttheGrass





Module5:DrugsontheStreet

Module5Magazine(PDF,7MB)

Student/TeacherWorksheets(PDF,668KB)(Pages22,23)



Module6:DrugsintheNews





T-shirts,Stickers,andButtons

















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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)

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/irondownloads_69.pdf

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/irondownloads_69.pdf

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5. Useanordinaryirontotransferthedesignontotheitem.Usecaution,theironwillbeveryhot.

HowdoIprintthestickers?

1. Pickupsomeblankwhitelabelspaperatyourlocalcraftorofficesupplystore.

2. Downloadthefreeartwork.

3. Placethedownloadedartworkontoyourlabelsandresizethearttofityourlabel.

4. Useanink-jetprintertoprintyourdownloadeddesignontothelabels.Besuretoreadtheinstructionsthatcomewiththelabels.

OnlineActivities

Activitiescanbeusedasanenriching,learningtooltoreinforceinformationcoveredinthelesson.Werecommendthattheseactivitiesbeusedafterthelessoniscompleted,eitherimmediatelyafterorastimeallowsintheclassroomschedule.

Download

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/images/sticker_dl_69.jpg

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/images/sticker_dl_69.jpg

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https://www.drugabuse.gov/brainpower_6-9_cd/CD-ROM.html

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Brain Power ... · Read the Background section of this module for more information about the brain and neurotransmission. Provide students

Documents