Messages within the brain and the rest of the nervous system are sent very rapidly. These messages are conducted by cells called neurons. Neurons are specialized to receive and transmit message and neurons are connected in networks. For...

For this lesson on the brain's neural networks, students investigate the structure and function of the neuron. They discover ways in which engineers apply this knowledge to the development of devices that can activate neurons. Includes...

This module focuses on the science that explains the effects that drugs have on the brain and, by extension, a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Specifically, it focuses on the adolescent brain. Adolescents may be more...

The brain needs many different kinds of raw materials from food and ecommended serving sizes are often smaller than the size actually served or the amounts people eat. For this lesson students are introduced to this concept by dissecting...

"Are you ready to go into the spaceship? Remember to stay very still!" This is what you hear before the bed you are lying down on starts to slide into a long, tube shaped machine. You can almost imagine that it really is a spaceship, and...

Neurotransmitters can either stimulate the next neuron to send a signal or inhibit that neuron from sending a signal. Certain chemicals change the way signals are sent and received. For this lesson students will understand this concept...

Two thirds of the population believes a myth that has been propagated for over a century: that we use only 10% of our brains. Hardly! Our neuron-dense brains have evolved to use the least amount of energy while carrying the most...

Nervous system signals are transmitted electrically along individual neurons, but neurons are separated from each other by a tiny gap. Chemical messengers called neurotransmitters cross the gap between neurons. Neurotransmitters fit into...

Brain cells called neurons send information and instructions throughout the brain and body. The information is sent via electro-chemical signals known as action potentials that travel down the length of the neuron. These neurons are then...

Nervous system messages are sent as electrical signals along the length of axons and dissolved salts are important for electrical signaling in cells. In this lesson students are introduced to this concept by creating an electrical...