These
lessons will take you to the "Neuroscience
for Kids"
web site created by Eric Chudler at the
University of Washington. You will find a great deal of information
about the nervous system at this site, not only for these lessons, but
also for other studies you may need help with during this course. Keep
in mind that the images and text in this web site are the creation of
the author. Any time you quote his work, be sure to provide the
appropriate citations. Each of the
lessons will take you to pages of the "Neuroscience for Kids".
You will be asked to use information on these pages to answer several
questions. At the end of each lesson to write your answers and send
them to me via e-mail. As you work through these lessons, have your
text book near by. It will be useful to you when you come across terms
that may not be familiar to you.
Select the appropriate lesson from the
list below.
Lesson
One, Cell Types.
Before you
start this lesson, be sure that you have read pages 330 to 336 in your
text book. You will need to know this material to take full advantage
of this lesson.
From your reading you have learned there are several different types of
neurons in the nervous system. This lesson will give you an opportunity
to compare these cell types in terms of their structure and their
location in the nervous system.
Read these
questions and the instructions. When you are ready, click on the Neuroscience
for Kids at the bottom of this page to start your studies.
- What are the three different types of neurons,
and how do they differ in terms of the number and location of their
axons?
- Where are these different types of neurons
located in the nervous system?
- How do dendrites and axons differ in terms of
the direction they carry information to and from the cell body? Why is
this difference important for the proper functioning of the nerve cell?
- How do the dendrites and axons differ in terms
of the number of branches they have?
- Considering your answer to question 4, which
end of a neuron, the end with the dendrites or the end with the axon
can make the greatest number of connections with other neurons?
Remember to
use the BACK and the FORWARD
keys to move back and forth between this lesson page and the Neurosciences
for Kids web pages. When you're ready to write your answers,
e-mail them to me.
Go to Neuroscience
for Kids to
start the lesson.
Return to the top of the page.
Lesson
Two, Resting and Action Potentials.
Before you
start this lesson, be sure that you have read pages 337 to 341 in your
text book. You will need to know this material to take full advantage
of this lesson.
You have learned in class that the resting potential of a neuron is
maintained by different concentrations of ions such as sodium and
potassium on either side of the cell membrane. You also know that when
this balance is disrupted, an action potential can develop and
propagate itself down the length of the axon. In this lesson, you will
learn more details of these events.
Read these
questions and the instructions at the bottom of the page. When you are
ready, click on the Neuroscience for Kids page to
start your studies.
- What does the term "electrochemical" mean, and
why are ions important for this process?
- During the resting potential which ions can and
can not move across the cell membrane? In which direction (into the
cell or out) are they moving and why?
- If ions are moving in and out of the cell
during the resting potential, suggest a mechanism the cell can use to
maintain a constant potential of -70mV.
- Explain how the movement of sodium during the
action potential causes the potential to go from -70mV to +30mV or
more.
- Explain how the movement of potassium during
the action potential brings the potential back down to its original
level.
- You don't need to write an answer to this
question, but it will be on your next test: Describe how the movement
of sodium and potassium determines the timing of the depolarization and
subsequent repolarization of the axon during the action potential.
Remember to
use the BACK and the FORWARD
keys to move back and forth between this lesson page and the Neurosciences
for Kids web pages. When you're ready to write your answers,
e-mail them to me.
Go to Neuroscience
for Kids to start the lesson.
Return to the top of the page.
Lesson
Three, Organization of the Cerebrum.
In this
lesson you will study the cerebral cortex in detail. The cerebral
cortex can be divided in two different ways. The simplest method is to
divide the cortex into large regions based on anatomical landmarks on
the surface of the brain called gyri and sulci. A more detailed
division can be made based on the functional differences among
different regions of the brain.
Read these
questions and the instructions at the bottom of the page. When you are
ready, click on the Neuroscience for Kids page to
start your studies. This link will take you to the main page of this
web site. You will need to visit two other pages to find the answers to
the questions. From the main page click on links to "Our
Divided Brain" and to "Functional Divisions of the
Cerebral Cortex".
From the "Our Divided Brain"
page answer these three questions.
1. What are gyri and sulci?
2. What are the four main anatomical lobes of the cerebrum?
3. Are all sensory functions located in the same lobe? Give examples.
From the "Functional Divisions of the
Cerebral Cortex" answer these questions.
4. Are language comprehension and speech
production located in the same areas of the cerebrum? Explain.
5. There is often more than one region of the cerebrum devoted to a
sensory function such as vision. Explain the differences between these
two regions and give examples.
Remember to
use the BACK and the FORWARD
keys to move back and forth between this lesson page and the Neurosciences
for Kids web pages. When you're ready to write your answers,
e-mail them to me.
Go to Neuroscience
for Kids to
start the lesson.
Return to the top of the page.
Lesson
Four, Brain Size.
Over the
years there has been much speculation about the relationship between
the size of an animal's brain and its intelligence. There are many
factors other than mental abilities which have influenced the evolution
of brain size. In this lesson you will take a brief look at the brains
of some different species.
Read these
questions and the instructions at the bottom of the page. When you are
ready, click on the Neuroscience for Kids page to
start your studies. This link will take you to the main page of this
web site. You will need to visit two other pages to find the answers to
the questions. From the main page click on links to "Brain
Size/Cerebral Cortex" and to "4 More Brains".
From the "Brain Size" page
answer these three questions.
1. What are some of the reasons an animal may have
a large brain other than high intelligence? Give examples.
2. What is the average brain size of a new born human? What other
animals have a similar size brain as a new born?
3. Dolphins are reported to be highly intelligent. Does their brain
size confirm that? Sperm whales are also very intelligent and very much
larger than dolphins. Is their brain size equally large for their size?
From the "4 More Brains" page
answer these questions.
4. Look at the brans of the Human, Monkey, Cat,
and Mouse. Do you see any obvious differences in the cerebrum in terms
of its relative size to the rest of the brain? Explain.
5. Are there any other differences you can notice in the cerebrum among
these four species? Explain.
6. Look carefully at the brains of the Monkey, Cat, and Mouse. You can
see the olfactory lobes of their brains protruding from under the front
of the cerebrum (on the left of each brain photo). How does the
relative size of the olfactory lobes in these three species compare?
Suggest are reason for the difference.
Remember to
use the BACK and the FORWARD
keys to move back and forth between this lesson page and the Neurosciences
for Kids web pages. When you're ready to write your answers,
e-mail them to me.
Go to Neuroscience
for Kids to start the lesson.
Return to Mr.
Birch's Class Pages.
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