Nervous System Exploration

Name: ______________________ Period: ____
01/21/2016
Nervous System
Exploration Activity: Nervous System
Directions: We begin the nervous system unit today! Since there is so much to learn and
not enough time, today is yours to explore in detail the topics that you are most drawn
to. The first exploration is required. Then, pick 2 other explorations to do, of your choice.
Check off the explorations you have completed:

Required: Nervous System Introduction
1 Optical/Visual Illusions and how they work
2 Neurological Exams: How and why do doctors test for brain malfunctions?
3 Comparing animal brains, and what this has to do with intelligence
4 Weird disorders for when the brain goes wrong
5 Unsolved problems and mysteries in neuroscience, like what is consciousness?
How are memories made and stored?
Nervous System Introduction
Selected
1. What does the nervous system do for you, in your own words? i.e What is the
physiology of the nervous system? You may use online resources to help you.
2. What are the different parts of the nervous system, in your own words? You may use
online resources to help you.
3. Give three anatomical facts about the human brain:

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4. Go to tinyurl.com/brainmyths, read the 10 brain myths by clicking the blue Next

button, and skim the explanations. Write down these MYTHS below:
NOT TRUE #10:
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NOT TRUE #9: ___________________________________________________________________________
NOT TRUE #8: ___________________________________________________________________________
NOT TRUE #7: ___________________________________________________________________________
NOT TRUE #6: ___________________________________________________________________________
NOT TRUE #5: ___________________________________________________________________________
NOT TRUE #4: ___________________________________________________________________________
Name: ______________________ Period: ____

01/21/2016
Nervous System
NOT TRUE #3: ___________________________________________________________________________
NOT TRUE #2: ___________________________________________________________________________
NOT TRUE #1: ___________________________________________________________________________
5. Which myth(s) were surprising to you?
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Exploration 1: Visual Illusions
Selected
1. Go to http://www.mantlelabs.com/illusion/ and complete the short activity.
2. Now, explain this illusion. (Why does it happen? What purpose does it serve? What
does it say about your brain?) You may use the resources at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checker_shadow_illusion
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3. Browse some optical illusions online dont take too long! Try:
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/pictures/illusions.html
http://www.magicmgmt.com/gary/oi/
4. Describe the illusions you found most interesting:
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Optional if you have headphones : Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone. This
is an auditory illusion that sounds like the pitch is constantly ascending or descending,
even though it actually never moves. You can listen to the sound available on this page.
Exploration 2: Neurological Exams
Selected
Have you ever wondered how doctors test for specific problems with the nervous
system? Or why they do certain things when you go to the doctors office? You can use
headphones for this exploration if you are watching the videos, which may not work on
some laptops.
1. Go to http://tinyurl.com/doctorbraintests.
2. Go to
in the left column, under where it says
This is how you check to see if a patient is thinking normally. Go to

next; this shows what a patient might do if they have some kind of brain damage.
Name: ______________________ Period: ____

01/21/2016
Nervous System
How would you know if a patient has problems with memory and orientation? What tests
or questions would you run?
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3. Look at the Normal and Abnormal examples for the COORDINATION exam.
a. If you asked a patient to say lah-pah-kah over and over, what would you be
testing for?
b. If you ask a patient to move her pointer finger from her nose to your finger, what
are you testing for?
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4. What do you test for sensory deficits in a patient? (See SENSORY EXAM examples on
the left).
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Exploration 3: Comparing animal brains

Selected
Have you ever wondered what makes humans different from, say, a rat? This website is
an interactive way to explore the intricacies of the brain. It does a good job of making
you think, instead of just giving answers.
1. Go to http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/brains/compare and begin! Follow the
directions to click through.
2. What did you learn about the similarities and differences of different brains?
Similarities
Differences
3. What is the relationship between brain size, body size, and intelligence? (Use the
Brain vs. Body Size section on the left column, and equalize body size and brain sizes
to explore.)
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Name: ______________________ Period: ____

01/21/2016
Nervous System
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4. Keep exploring this website. Record 3 more facts that you have learned:
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Name: ______________________ Period: ____

01/21/2016
Nervous System
Exploration 4: Strange brains when things go wrong
Selected
The brain is an incredibly complex and interesting structure. When things go wrong,
fascinating results can occur.
Explore one or more of the following articles and websites. Record the name and
description of the 5 brain disorders you find more interesting. An example has been done
for you.
http://io9.com/5874229/10-incredibly-strange-brain-disorders
http://listverse.com/2007/10/13/top-10-bizarre-mental-disorders/
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/disorders.html
Name of disorder
Munchausen syndrome
Description
The patient will fake or exaggerate symptoms to gain
attention and sympathy from medical professionals.
Name: ______________________ Period: ____

01/21/2016
Nervous System
Exploration 5: List of unsolved problems in neuroscience
Selected
Neuroscience is a relatively new science, with more unanswered questions in this organ
system than perhaps any other. Learn about some of the biggest unsolved mysteries of
the brain here. Maybe youll be the one to solve one of them?
Go to one or more of these websites:
10 Unsolved Mysteries of the Brain: http://tinyurl.com/knhvsve
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unsolved_problems_in_neuroscience
1. What are 3 mysteries of the brain that are most interesting to you, and why?
Description of brain
mystery
Why is it interesting to you?
2. Choose one of these brain mysteries to investigate in detail. You may use other
websites than the ones listed above. Explain this mystery to a middle schooler,
including:
What is the mystery?
What makes it so hard to solve?
What are current efforts to solve it? What are your ideas?
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Name: __________________ Period:

Exploration Activity: Nervous System

Check off the explorations you have completed:

3. Give three anatomical facts about the human brain:

4. Go to tinyurl.com/brainmyths, read the 10 brain myths by clicking the blue Next

Name: __________________ Period:

in the left column, under where it says

This is how you check to see if a patient is thinking normally. Go to

Name: __________________ Period:

Exploration 3: Comparing animal brains

Name: __________________ Period:

Name: __________________ Period:

Name: __________________ Period:

Why is it interesting to you?

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