Neurotransmitters Lesson Plans

Students examine the hierarchical organization of the brain, neuron, and synapse; explain the sequence of events involved in communication at the synapse; and that synaptic transmission involves neurotransmitters.

Students gather (research) information on neuron structure and action potential. Students are guided to make inferences about the synapse and its relationship to neurotransmitter release and action. They are also guided to make inferences about how neurotransmitters and drugs affect synapses and how these actions may be related to diseases of the nervous system and ultimately behavior.

In this lesson students investigate the nervous system.  In this anatomy lesson, students identify and define vocabulary related to the nervous system. In this lesson students role play the parts of a nervous system and perform an experiment measuring and comparing their right and left hand reaction time.

Students review what they recall about depression in the video. They review what they've already explored about clinical depression and various treatments. Students create a poster that highlights one common misconception about depression, and the truth behind that myth.

Students research sleep following a class discussion on an article in The New York Times. Students use their research information to create a health and wellness exhibit that addresses topics related to sleep.

In this lesson students identify the  basic function of the lobes in the brain.  In this memory lesson students complete a lab activity on how fast they can react. 

This lesson has students identify structures of the brain, and neurons and analyze their functions.  In this nervous system lesson students create drawings and models of anatomy.

Students study cholinergic neuromuscular pathway of acetylcholine release and develop a model for drug interaction at one specific neurological site. Working in teams, students can also research different drugs or poisons and produce a multi-media presentation showing some of the effects of abuse.

In this lesson learners discover how the brain receives messages from the body. In this nervous system lesson, learners analyze the nervous system through problem-solving in various games.  

Students examine that certain drugs interfere selectively with neurotransmission, and realize that the effect of a drug is dependent upon dosage and route of administration.