Parkinson Disease:A Classroom Activity

Prepared by

Brian K. Malin and Joan K. Johnston-Malin

Parkinson Disease afflicts approximately <1% of the adult American population. Students, however, especially those who have grandparents with the disorder, are very interested in learning about this disease. What is Parkinson disease? What controls its onset? What are its symptoms? Which part of the Brain is negatively affected by this disorder?

Topics for Students

• An interactive site for general background data on Parkinson disease. Background
• A review of the symptoms of the disorder.Symptoms
• A review of frequently used vocabulary. Vocab
• Traditional vs. new treatments for this disorder.Treatments
• Brain diagram pinpointing region associated with Parkinson disease. Brain Diagram

Student Projects

PROJECT A: ( Design a neurotransmitter for use by Parkinson patients)
1. Define: Neurotransmitter
2. Name it
3. Draw and label it
4. Tell its purpose
5. Where will it be produced in the body
6. Which part of the nervous system is its target site
7. Where are its receptor sites
8. List it as stimulatory or inhibitory
9. Describe how it will benefit the patient
10. Describe any negative side-effects

PROJECT B : (Roleplay: A neuron-cluster in synapse)
1. Write up a scenario-outline for your team
2. Identify all Neurotransmitters and Neuromodulators.
3. Assign students as: neuron-parts/body-parts/inputs/outputs/interneurons/Neurochemicals/ etc.
4. Name and color code chemicals
5. Show proper sequence of events
6. Include a stimulus and a response
7. Identify cluster-location within the nervous system
8. Roleplay all activities/synopsize results