Damage and disease in the human brain, including CT and PET scanning
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe some of the difficulties in studying and treating damage in the nervous system and brain.
Key learning points
- The importance and difficulties of investigating brain function and damage, including safety and ethical considerations.
- Use of CT and PET scanning to study the brain.
- Difficulties in treating disease and damage in the nervous system and brain (e.g. lack of mitosis in neurones).
- Potential treatments for disease and damage in the nervous system and brain (e.g. stem cells).
Keywords
Ethical - relates to whether an action and its consequences are right or wrong
Informed consent - consent obtained from a patient where they fully understand the procedure and its implications
Mitosis - a type of cell division that produces genetically identical cells
Stem cell - a cell that can differentiate into specialised cells
Common misconception
Understanding the ethics of research practices is complex and often misunderstood. The details of various brain scanning techniques are complex and also confusing.
Ethical practices are discussed with examples and changes through history to give context. Brain scanning techniques are illustrated and explained, with follow up tasks.
Teacher tip
When discussing ethics and informed consent, consider this from a student's perspective: would it be right to use their social media post for my benefit without their informed consent? Be careful this doesn't go off track though!
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What type of issues relate to whether an action and its consequences are right or wrong?
Q2.What types of cells primarily make up brain tissue?
Q3.What is the process of ordinary cell division called?
Q4.What are stem cells?
Q5.fMRI imaging uses radiation to visualise brain activity.
Q6.Match the disease to its symptoms.
parts of the brain become damaged, affects muscles, e.g. slow movement
associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning, e.g. memory
causes frequent seizures
involves having a low mood that affects day-to-day living
when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the type of scan to its description.
uses x-rays to scan a patient’s body showing slices of the body
uses a radioactive substance to emit gamma rays that can be detected
Q2.When embarking on research into the human brain, what should we consider?
Q3.Which of these statements is not an ethical issue involved in studying patients with brain damage caused by Parkinson's?
Q4.True or false? Stem cells can cure brain disease.
Q5.Which of the following are true about how a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanner works?
Q6.Neurones are very complex cells and cannot undergo to create new copies of themselves.
To help you plan your 10 biology lesson on: Damage and disease in the human brain, including CT and PET scanning, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 biology lesson on: Damage and disease in the human brain, including CT and PET scanning, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 biology lessons from the Coordination and control: the human nervous system unit, dive into the full secondary biology curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.