Guidelines for the Junior Neurologist

Junior Neurologist Research Project


For two days you will all become junior Neurologists. You will be using the internet to complete a research project on the Nervous System. Before you start your research you will receive a list of questions to guide your research. You are expected to take notes, using the questions to help you focus.

Final projects:

You will have two final projects:

Task #1:

Write up a one page report on your chosen topic. You should include information gathered from your research. This may only be half a page to a page in length. You may need to include diagrams or pictures to help explain and illustrate your research.


Task #2: Choose one of the following creative projects:

1) Create a brochure explaining your nervous system topic to the general public. This can be a brochure that is handed out in the doctor’s office or to educate young people about the effects of their choices. Make it colorful. You can do the brochure by hand or on the computer.
2) Create a poster which includes the same information as the brochure. This should be an eye-catching, information poster to educate the viewer about your topic.
3) Write a script for a play about your topic which should be entertaining but also instructional.
4) Write a newspaper front page with articles about your topic. Include pictures that are drawn by hand or copied from the computer.
5) Another creative project of your choice.




Possible Research Topics:

1. How does caffeine affect the nervous system?
2. How does cocaine affect the nervous system?
3. How does alcohol affect the nervous system?
4. How does nicotine (cigarettes) affect the nervous system?
5. What is a concussion? How do sports like soccer affect the nervous system?
6. What are chemical weapons and nerve agents and how do they affect the nervous system?
7. What are neurotoxins and what do they do? (These include scorpion and spider venom.)
8. What is Mad Cow Disease and what does it do?
9. What is a stroke?
10. What is Alzheimer’s disease?
11. What is Parkinson’s disease?
12. What causes headaches and migraines?
13. What happens when we dream?
14. Why do we need to sleep?
15. How does marijuana affect the nervous system?
16. What is rabies?
17. What is a relex?


Grading:

Your report and creative project will each be graded out of 20 points.

Neurology Topics

Task #1 - Use your research questions as a guide to take notes on your chosen topic. You must choose one of the topics below. You do not only need to do research on the questions provided. They are only a guide and they will not be collected.

1. How does caffeine affect the nervous system?
A. Neuroscience for Kids
B. Does Drinking Coffee Prevent Parkinson's Disease?
C. Caffeine and Dopamine from "How Stuff Works"
D. How Caffeine Affects Sleep from "How Stuff Works"
E. Health Benefits of Caffeine from "How Stuff Works"

2. How does cocaine affect the nervous system?
A. Neuroscience for Kids
B. National Institute of Drug Abuse "Crack and Cocaine"

3. How does alcohol affect the nervous system?
A. Neuroscience for Kids - Alcohol and the Brain
B. What's Your Poison - Alcohol
C. Alcohol's Damaging Affects on the Brain

4. How does nicotine (cigarettes) affect the nervous system?
A. Neuroscience for Kids
B. PBS/Nova "The Dope on Nicotine" - This link has a series of pages. The best information about the brain appears on the last few pages of the article. You may read all of the pages for this article.

5. What is a concussion? How do sports like soccer affect the nervous system?
A. Neuroscience for Kids - Soccer and the Brain
B. Web MD - Concussion Overview
C. American Academy of Family Physicians - What is a Concussion?

6. What are chemical weapons and nerve agents and how do they affect the nervous system?
A. Neuroscience for Kids - Chemical Weapons and Nerve Agents
B. How Nerve Agents Work

7. What are neurotoxins and what do they do? (These include scorpion and spider venom.)
A. Neuroscience for Kids - Neurotoxins

8. What is Mad Cow Disease and what does it do?
A. Neuroscience for Kids - Mad Cow Disease

9. What is a stroke?
A. Neuroscience for Kids - Stroke

10. What is Alzheimer’s disease?
A. Neuroscience for Kids - Alzheimer's disease

11. What is Parkinson’s disease?
A. What is Parkinson's disease? - KidsHealth
B. Does Drinking Coffee Prevent Parkinson's disease?

12. What causes headaches and migraines?
A. Neuroscience for Kids - Migraines
B. Neuroscience for Kids - Does Botox Help Migraines
C. Headache Drawings Help Doctors
D. How Do Pain relievers Work? From KidsHealth
E. What is a Headache? - From KidsHealth


13. What happens when we sleep and dream?
A. Neuroscience for Kids - Sleep
B. CBS News -60 Minutes The Science of Sleep
C. Brain Basics - Understanding Sleep
D. Why Do We Dream - PBS Kids
E. Psychology Today - "Why Do We Dream"
F. Why Sleep Is Important
G. Stroke Attacks Dreams
H. Sleep May Enhance Memory and Learning
I. Brain Tries to Help After Sleep Deprivation
J. Sleep and Dreaming Experiments
K. Do Animals Dream?

14. How does marijuana affect the nervous system?
A. Neuroscience For Kids - Marijuana
B. How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain

15. What is rabies?
A. Neuroscience For Kids -Rabies
B. CDC - Rabies for Kids

16. What is a reflex?
A. What Are Reflexes? - KidsHealth
B. Why Do I Shiver?

17. What Causes Fear?
A. What Causes Fear

Virtual Brain Surgery

This is a link to a site where you can do virtual brain surgery. Have fun!

Ed Heads Virtual Brain Surgery - ENTER HERE

Student Video - Good But With One Mistake

The young person who produced this video said "Oppicetal" Lobe instead of OCCIPETAL Lobe.

Neurons and Neurotransmitters - Real Brain Crosssections

"Pinky and the Brain" Parts of the Brain Song

Reflex Arc Video

The Synapse

Neurotransmitter Action in 3D