Addicted Mice
Posted on Feb. 5, 2014 by Nicole Stone, Theresa Cheng
This lesson plan is based on the episode What fruit flies can tell us about alcohol addiction
Files:
Overview
In this activity, students learn how alcohol influences the brain by hijacking the GABA signaling pathway.
The lesson is intended to supplement Carry the One Radio’s Interviews with Ulriche Heberlein and Patricia Janak. However, the handout can be used without listening to the radio program and can be used to discuss alcohol and drug addiction more generally.
Using this Lesson Plan
This lesson is intended for grades 9-12 and advanced middle school students. This lesson is intended to take one 60-minute class period.
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe how alcohol interacts with GABA and glutamate signaling pathways.
- Describe which parts of the brain are influenced by alcohol.
- Describe the short- and long-term effects of alcohol usage and one other drug.
Standards
Health Education Content Standards for California Public Schools:
"1.2.A Explain the impact of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use on brain chemistry, brain function, and behavior"
Advanced Placement Biology Curriculum:
"LO 3.38 The student is able to describe a model that expresses key elements to how change in signal transduction can alter cellular response. [See SP 1.5]"
"LO 3.39 The student is able to construct an explanation of how certain drugs affect signal reception and, consequently, signal transduction pathways. [See SP 6.2]"
Additional Resources
