Brain Scenarios

Walking down a dark New York street late at night you suddenly feel the metal barrel of a pistol press against your head behind your ear and hear the instructions “Don’t move a muscle while I slip your wallet out of your pocket.” Unfortunately you do move, the gun is fired and the bullet enters the brain. Breathing and heart beat stop almost immediately. Where is the bullet?

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS1-3

“Little Mo” was extremely short for his age. His doctors concluded his brain was not stimulating the proper release of hormones necessary for growth. What area of the brain are they probably focusing on?

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS1-3

On Justin’s 21st birthday he & his buddies celebrated a bit too much. When the police stopped his car Justin’s speech was slurred, he couldn’t walk a straight line or balance on one foot. He nearly missed his face altogether when asked to touch his nose while his eyes were closed. The impaired functioning of what part of Justin’s brain is responsible for these difficulties with motor coordination and balance?

Uncle Ed suffered a stroke which damaged a portion of his cortex. He shows some weakness and partial paralysis of his right leg. What area of his cortex was affected by the stroke?

Paul suffered from encephalitis (a brain infection) while in college. He received good medical attention but still the infection took its toll on certain parts of his brain, so that now Paul cannot store new long-term memories. What part of the brain did the encephalitis damage?

Leon’s car was broadsided by a truck causing Leon’s head to smash against the driver’s side window damaging his temporal lobe. What ability may be affected?

Jeff suffered serious injuries when his car crashed but he was still able to crawl out of the car and pull his sister out as well. Name one of the transmitters that helped him function in this situation and tell how.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS1-3

Philip is hooked on cocaine. What neurotransmitter seems most closely related to the pleasure such drugs produce and their addictive qualities?

Grandma Mary had a stroke which impaired her ability to speak fluently although she can move all the necessary muscles. What is the most likely location of her brain damage?

Gwen’s brain has a congenital anomaly (a difference in brain anatomy that she was born with) - it lacks the main connection between the right and left hemispheres. What was Gwen born without?