The Highjacked Brain
Targeted grades: 7 – 12Master Teachers: Trez Buckland and Jennifer Morton
OVERVIEW
Using video and interactive activities, the students will learn four key features of addiction: compulsive drug seeking behavior, changes in the biochemical processing of the brain reducing the ability of the brain to produce dopamine, using the drug to maintain a feeling of normalcy, and relapse.
VIDEO Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home
Programs1 and 2: Portraits of Addiction and The Hijacked Brain
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
For the 45 minute lesson on "The Hijacked Brain":
Students will be able to define drug addiction by identifying these four key features: (1) compulsive drug seeking behavior; (2) decrease in brain's ability to produce dopamine naturally; (3) brain adapts to reduced dopamine levels so the drug is used to feel "normal"; (4) relapse. In addition, students will identify risk factors and protective factors in their own lives related to drug abuse and addiction by filling out a self assessment.
For the one hour session on extension activities:
Students will be able to: (1) use the Web to access addresses for individuals who can help them with research related to addiction and the brain; (2) use the CD-ROM, "Drugs and the Brain," to increase their knowledge related to drugs of abuse; and (3) use a lab activity designed to help them understand the effects of drugs on a living system.
MATERIALS
For the 45 minute lesson on "The Hijacked Brain":
* Videos: Portraits of Addiction and The Hijacked Brain
* Copies of self assessment for each student
* Overhead projector
* Vis-a-Vis( pens
* Clear overlays for the overhead or a roll of clear overlay
* Poster for each of the key features of addiction
* A chocolate eclair, bowl of fresh cut pineapple, small bag of Fritos(
* Chalk board or white board with appropriate writing implements
* Tape for posters
For the one hour session on extension activities:
* Copies of the CD-ROM, "Drugs and the Brain", plus the teacher's guide.
* Copies of the Teachers Guide Kit for the Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home series.
* Copies of the curriculum packet , "Effects of Alcohol and Nicotine on Daphnia Magna".
* One or two computers with CD-ROM playing capacity.
* One computer linked to the Internet--in addition to the other computer(s) with CD-ROM capacity.
PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITY
Introduce the lesson to the students by asking them to think about as many legal activities as possible that they enjoy. Say, "Write a list of as many activities as possible that you enjoy doing." Time them for one minute as they list these. Walk around the room to check that they are understanding the activity. After a minute is up, invite students to share some of their ideas with a partner.
Give them another minute and then say: "What are some of your favorite activities?" List these on an overhead or write them on the board. Say, "These activities bring a lot of pleasure. What problems would occur if a person could not stop participating in one of these activities? (Get samples from the students).
Say: "Raise your hand if you want to be in control of your life, rather than having your life control you." Pause while students do this. (It is most likely that adolescents like to be in control of their own lives. This is developmentally appropriate for them as they move toward adulthood. By giving them the opportunity to indicate this, you are conducting an informal needs assessment that lets you point out to them that the lesson they are about to experience will give them that kind of control. By doing this they can become engaged in the learning as they see it relates to their personal goals.)
Say: "The video clip you'll see next is from the Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home series. This particular piece is from Part One: Portraits of Addiction. Today's lesson gives you the opportunity to learn what research has recently uncovered about the brain and addiction so that you will have the knowledge you need to make decisions that will give you the control over your life that you want to enjoy. You will also learn your personal risk factors and protective factors related to drug abuse and addiction. By having this information, you can choose to enhance your protective factors and reduce your risk factors giving a better chance to stay in control of your life."
VIEWING ACTIVITY I
To give students a specific responsibility while viewing, say: "As you watch, identify the pleasure seeking activities that this man describes. In addition, note the measure of control he is able to exert on these activities."
Fast forward to the section that has a black screen with white letters saying "falling in love." There will be seven people after this screen describing what this "falling in love" with drugs experience was like for them. The person you want to show the students is person number seven, a white male with brown hair and a goatee. Start the video when he says: "During a drinking session if you were to bring in a tray of eclairs..." and continue the video to the point where he says: "And so the cycle continues." Stop video.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY I
In order to have students identify one of the four key features of addiction ask the students the following questions:
"What two pleasure seeking activities did he describe?" (drinking alcohol and eating eclairs)
"How did each activity impact him differently?" (one activity he had control over, the other he did not)
Say: "That's exactly right. This is also one of the first key features of addiction research has uncovered:
1. Compulsive, uncontrollable, drug seeking behavior.
Put up the first poster with this concept written on it. Say: "To help you understand how this works think about your favorite food. Visualize what it looks like, smells like, tastes like, the sound it makes when you eat it and how it feels (give students time to get a mental image). When you are enjoying that food, what will make you stop eating it? (take a sample of answers form the group)
When you are in control of your own life you can make a decision to stop eating that food. However, when you have become addicted, and research shows that this will happen after prolonged use of a drug, sooner for some people and later for others, you lose that control. The addict will simply continue to seek and find the drug."
VIEWING ACTIVITY II
Say: "In the next clip, two more key features of addiction will be uncovered."
To give students a specific responsibility while viewing, say: "As you watch the video, write down the answers to the following two questions:
What is changed in the brain in addiction? (Changed biochemical processing reduces the brain's ability to produce dopamine naturally.)
Why do addicted people keep using the drug? (This biochemical change in the brain causes the drug addict to continue the drug using behavior simply to feel "normal," they can no longer produce dopamine on their own to keep from feeling horrible.)
Fast forward to the section where you will see Dr. Alan Leshner, a white male with a mustache, his name at the bottom of the screen. He will be saying: "Key to what we are talking about is their being in a state where the drug...." (about three minutes). Go to the point where he says, "until use and abuse spiral into addiction." You will see a brain scan shown and a slow motion picture of an adult who appears to be engaging in addictive behavior. Stop video.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY II
Ask: "What changed in the brain?" (Dopamine is one of the natural chemicals in the brain. It is a neurotransmitter that enhances our ability to survive by making us feel good when we engage in certain activities that support life, like sex and eating. When drugs are used in a prolonged fashion, they short circuit the brain and the brain adapts and decreases dopamine production.)
After collecting enough responses to get the previous question answered, ask:
"Why do people keep using?" (Because addicted brains have reduced dopamine levels, addicts must keep taking the drug in order to function, or to feel normal. Without the drug they will feel bad, because their brain no longer produces dopamine naturally in response to daily activity ands natural pleasures.)
After collecting enough responses to get the answer to the question say: "You have now identified the second and third key features of drug addiction:
2. The brain doesn't produce enough dopamine.
3. The brain adapts to reduced dopamine levels, so drugs need to be used to feel normal.
Put up the next two posters as these are stated.
In order to help the students understand how their own bodies do this kind of adaptation on a daily basis say: "In our own lives, this type of adaptation occurs all the time. To demonstrate this put your hands on top of your desk like you are ready to play the piano (model this hand position for them). When I give you a signal to begin, starting with your thumbs and going out to your pinkie, drum your fingers repeatedly until I tell you stop (ask if there are any questions). Begin!"
Time the students for a couple minutes until it becomes obvious that many of their hands are getting tired. Say: "Stop. Raise your hands if they were beginning to feel tired. Why was this feeling happening? (response - If our muscles aren't used to something they become tired, if they are used to something, they have adapted and become stronger and so do not hurt us.)
Say: "What type of people may have stronger finger and forearm muscles?" (get a sample of responses from the group - piano players, rock climbers, watch and jewelry repair people).
Say: "This is similar to what happens in the brain when a person becomes addicted. Our muscles adapt physically to work by becoming stronger. Conversely, our brain adapts by doing less work when the addict uses drugs which stimulate the production of dopamine artificially. The brain stops producing the dopamine naturally."
VIEWING ACTIVITY III
To give students a responsibility while viewing say: "As we watch the last video clip jot down answers to the question, 'Why do people relapse?'"
Start as Bill Moyers says, "It's not only that dopamine is depleted by chronic drug use.." You will see a man walking down a white stairway as he says this. Continue watching until Bill Moyers says, "Before the session ends, Childress will work with her volunteer so they're not left in a state of craving drugs." You will see the volunteer, white middle aged male. Stop video.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY III
Ask: "Why do people relapse?" (The environment triggers a chemical change in the brain which leads to drug seeking behavior.)
After getting the correct response to the question, put up the last poster for the 4th key feature of addiction.
4. Relapse
Say: "Relapse is the 4th defining feature of addiction. To see more clearly how physical and chemical changes can occur in us because of our environment, watch this demonstration."
(Bring a selection of fresh pineapple, a chocolate eclair and a bag of Fritos( to place in front of the students. Eat these items in front of the students, without offering to share them. While you are eating each one, pause to vividly describe to them your experience of the foods - sweet and juicy pineapple - you should be able to make slurping sounds as you eat and fresh pineapple usually has a very strong and pleasing smell, the creaminess of the eclair, the rich taste of the dark chocolate, the crunchiness of the Frito(, their salty corn taste, they ,too should smell strong.)
After you have exposed them to this for a little while ask them: "What are you noting that might be happening to you physically?" (responses may include salivation, feeling hungry, wanting to eat something that is being displayed)
Say: "This is how the environment triggers changes in the addict's brain that will cause them to crave drugs and seek them out, uncontrollably, thus undergoing relapse. In order to avoid relapse, the addict must be vigilant about avoiding environments (risk factors) that trigger this response and surrounding themselves with enough support (protective factors) to recover from relapse.
Today we have identified four key, defining features of addiction. (Pause to ask them to name them and copy them down.) Now that you know them you can identify them, but even more important, you now have information that gives you the power to avoid falling into the cycle of addiction. In order to put that knowledge to use, take the next few minutes to respond to this self assessment on the risk factors and protective factors for addiction while I read it aloud." (Reading aloud allows all your students to participate, even those who may have difficulty reading.)
After they have completed the self assessment say: " Calculate your risk factors and protective factors for addiction by following the directions on this handout. (Pass the handout out to the students and at the same time, demonstrate how to use the formulas to get their percent of risk in each area. If there is not enough time in class for all students to complete this activity, it could be completed at home since they have the handout.)
Now that you have determined your risk factors and protective factors, you can choose to reduce your vulnerability to addiction and to increase your resiliency in the face of this complex disease."
ACTION PLAN
To extend this lesson outside the four walls of the classroom, investigate some of the Web sites listed below. There are a few sites designed specifically for students, but all the of the sites are appropriate for students to view and use.
(1) http://www.nida.nih.gov/
This is the site of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. There is information on drugs of abuse, publications, events, organizations, and funding. There is a series on this site called Mind Over Matter for students in grades five through nine teaching the effects of drug abuse on the body and brain. There is also a teaching package called The Brain & the Actions of Cocaine, Opiates, and Marijuana which includes graphics to make slides for classroom presentations.
(2) http://www.well.com/user/woa/index.html
This site is called the Web of Addictions and is dedicated to providing accurate information about alcohol and other drug addictions. There is a lot of factual information on drugs, contact information for different organizations, and in depth information on different drug related topics.
(3) http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/
This site is the Drug-Free Resource Net sponsored by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. There is drug information, FAQs about drugs, help for parents and information about the organization.
(4) http://www.jointogether.org/jto/
Join Together Online is a resource for communities fighting substance abuse and gun violence. There is information on current issues dealing with drugs, public policy, and community action.
(5) http://www.health.org/index.htm
Prevention Online, or Prevline, is a part of the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information. This site has information for teachers and students. The site includes: resources and referrals, research and statistics, searchable databases, and publications and catalogs. There are also connections for kids: For Kids Only contains interesting information on addiction and the brain, and Girl Power is designed specifically for young girls.
(6) http://it.org/IT/druged/
Feeling Free is a colorful site designed for kids to teach them about growing up drug free. It features information about the dangers of drug and substance abuse.
EXTENTIONS
Science: Students may wish to use the CD-ROM, "Drugs and the Brain" to get more information about drugs of abuse. They could write individual reports or do a presentation to the class as part of a cooperative group effort which would end in a variety of drugs being reported on to all the class. A class may also like to conduct the experiment, "Effects of Alcohol and Nicotine on Daphnia Magna."
Social Studies: Students might do some research on the historical use of drugs in society. They could also look at the geography of its production, use related to cultures, and laws regulating use over time and the impacts those laws have on society. This would be a great place to invite in some guest speakers.
Language Arts or Computers: Students could learn how to write business letters by contacting individuals on the WEB sites for more information. They could write their letters on regular paper or they could learn the art of writing good email notes and using the computer effectively to get information. Write poetry about issues related to drug addiction and abuse.
Mathematics: Students could use statistics gathered from a variety of sources to look at prevention issues. What prevention programs seem to work? With whom? Under what conditions? Students would have to collect and compile data, and then analyze it to come up with answers to these questions.
Music: Have students look for messages in music about drugs. Challenge them to think of ways that music can be a trigger for craving for addicts. Art: Have students take a look at art related to the drug scene. A good resource here may be the Washington State Substance Abuse Coalition (425-637-7011). They are able to come into classrooms and demonstrate drug paraphernalia through a presentation they call the "Bong Show".
