Nervous System Web LabName:

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PART 1: Description of Nerve Impulses

Go to Fill in the blanks. Continue the “story” when talking about action potentials below.

Neurons send signals ______meaning that chemicals cause the signals. Chemicals in the body are electrically charged so we call them ______. There are four important ions in the nervous system: (list with charge).

When a neuron is not sending a signal, it is ______. When a neuron is at rest, the inside of the neuron is ______relative to the outside. Although the concentrations of the different ions attempt to balance out on both sides of the membrane, they cannot because the cell membrane allows only some ions to pass through channels (ion channels). At rest, ______can cross through the membrane easily. Also at rest, ______and ______have a more difficult time crossing. The negatively charged protein molecules (A-) inside the neuron cannot cross the membrane at all.

All animal nerve cell membranes contain a protein pump called The Sodium-Potassium Pump. This uses the energy from the splitting of ATP to pump 3 ______out of the cell while 2 ______are pumped in. Finally, when all these forces are balanced out when the neuron is at rest, there is an imbalance of ions between the interior and exterior of the cell which causes a voltage difference. This is called the resting membrane potential and it is always ______. The negativity results from more ______being outside the neuron and more ______being inside the neuron.

The Action Potential is what occurs when a neuron sends information down the axon. This involves an explosion of electrical activity where the resting membrane potential changes greatly. List the steps and important vocabulary needed to understand the action potential.

PART 2: Functions of the Brain

Using explore the brain by function and answer the following questions. Type in each paragraph please.

  1. Vision. In terms of vision, nerve impulses travel along the retina through the ______to the brain’s visual processing centers in the ______lobe. What area contains more neurons than the rest of the brain put together?
  1. Hearing. The ______nerve conducts impulses from the Organ of Corti in the ear to the ______cortex in the ______lobe.
  1. Smell. What travels through the air that we actually smell? What is different about olfactory senses as opposed to other senses? The impulses travel directly to the ______centers of the cerebral ______. Signals travel along the ______nerve to the ______bulb of the ______system.
  1. Touch. Certain neurons fire an impulse when they encounter pressure, ______, ______, ______, and ______. Describe how the impulses travel next.
  1. Taste. What structures integrate taste into memories and where are these structures found?
  1. Short-term memory. What areas are responsible for short-term memories?
  1. Long-term memory. Where is long-term memory of abstract ideas stored in the brain? Where is long-term memory of activities such as riding a bike located?
  1. Speech. Damage to what area in the left frontal lobe could cause a person to have difficulty producing speech sounds? Damage to what area could cause you to not be able to describe to your friend what The Grapes of Wrath was about?
  1. Emotion. What area controls emotions? What are some type of emotions? Improper wiring between the limbic system and what other area could cause someone to react very quickly and have anger issues or poor emotional control?
  1. Movement. What area coordinates balance movement and posture? What types of memories are stored in the cerebellum?

PART 3: Brain Disease – Spongiform Encephalitis (Mad Cow’s Disease)

Go to Each question below corresponds to a different page in this animation in order.

1)The term prion comes from… (1st page)

2)The prion enters the cell…(2nd page)

3)A self-replicating protein!? The prion replicates by…(3rd page)

4)The causes of hereditary forms of prion diseases are…(4th page)

5)Mad Cow's disease is called spongiform encephalitis because…(5th page)

6)What is formed as a result of neuronal cell death? 6th page

7)How many types of prion diseases are shown? 7th page

8)How did Kuru spread in the Fore people of New Guinea? 8th page

PART 4: PET Scans, Brain Chemistry and Drugs

There are certain technologies such as PET scans and MRI scans which allow us to see brain activity. Use this link to run the following PET scans

  • Run a PET scan for dopamine. Click on the two brains.
  • How is the brain chemistry of a person addicted to alcohol different from someone who is not?
  • What is dopamine?
  • Run a PET scan for glucose. Click on the two brains.
  • How is the brain chemistry of a person who is addicted to methamphetamine different than someone who is not?
  • Run a PET scan for MAO enzyme. Click on the two brains.
  • How is the brain chemistry of a person who smokes tobacco different than someone who does not when they smoke?

PART 5: The Biology of Depression

Use these two websites to learn about depression: and

  1. What 3 neurotransmitters are commonly associated with depression?
  2. In what main functions do these neurotransmitters aid?
  3. What do anti-depressant drugs do in alleviate symptoms of depression?
  4. Why is Prozac so effective where other drugs are not?

PART 6: The Neurochemistry of Addiction

Watch the video about normal dopamine function at and compare it to how cocaine works in the brain by clicking the “add cocaine” link.

  1. What are some differences between the two brains?
  2. Even long after one has stopped using cocaine, what can persist?
  3. What feelings does the person have after stopping cocaine us

PART 7: Marijuana

After reviewing “Facts on Drugs: Marijuana” on the NIDA for Teens website, take this short quiz and complete the EMAIL assignment below.

Short Quiz

1)Marijuana is made up of parts of a plant called ______.

  1. cannabis sativab. fernc. ivyd. nicotine

2)The chemical in marijuana that causes the user to feel “high” is ______.

  1. dopamineb. norepinephrinec. delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

3)Marijuana users experience short-term memory loss because of the drug’s effect on ______.

  1. the heartb. spinal cordc. the hippocampusd. the basal ganglia

4)Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, acts on the brain by ______.

  1. coating the skullb. binding to specific receptorsc. causing brain tissue to grow

5)While “pot,” “grass,” “chronic,” and “Mary Jane” are slang terms for marijuana, the term for loose marijuana rolled into a cigarette is a ______.

  1. jointb. bluntc. cigaretted. bong

6)In addition to causing trouble in the brain, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of ______.

  1. amputation and obesity
  2. kidney stones and ruptured appendix
  3. heart attacks and respiratory illnesses

7)Drivers on marijuana have an increased risk of getting into a car accident because of______?

  1. slowed reaction time
  2. impaired judgment
  3. both A and B

An Email to an Imaginary Friend

Maybe you haven’t had an imaginary friend since preschool, but we’ve created one for you here. Meet Pedley. He’s your close pal, but he’s taken a wrong turn.Pedley smokes marijuana daily. Based on what you’ve learned about the drug, what can you tell Pedley to convince him that pot isn’t for him? Fill in the blanks in the email to Pedley below to help him realize that marijuana will get him nowhere fast.

Dear Pedley,

I’m worried about you. You seem out of it. You didn’t even remember to meet me at my locker after school yesterday. I’m afraid all that pot you’ve been smoking is affecting our friendship. Maybe you don’t realize what’s going on inside you when you use that stuff. Basically, marijuana messes with parts of your brain, including ______, ______, and ______. When these parts of the brain aren’t working normally, you could have trouble with ______, ______, and ______. And Pedley, do you know what marijuana smoke can do to your lungs? It can ______. OK. I know you get a ______, or intoxicated feeling when you smoke a joint. But did you know that comes from a chemical? The chemical is called ______. And the release of that chemical leads to frequent use and could lead to ______. I hope this information helps. And I hope the Pedley I know comes back.

Your concerned pal,
______

PART 8: Drugs and the Brain

What do drugs do to the brain?

Further perfuse the NIDA for Teens website at summarize/type some information regarding the effect each of the following drugs/chemicals has on your brain and what they are.

  1. prescription drugs
  2. bath salts
  3. stimulants
  4. inhalants
  5. ecstasy
  6. hallucinogens
  7. steroids
  8. tobacco/nictoine