COMPILATION OF YEAR 4 TEACHER EDITIONS HEADS UP REAL … · result in lower DAT levels. 5. Athlete: using the drug may reduce chances of success by impairing motor skills. Lawyer:

FROM SCHOLASTIC AND THE SCIENTISTS OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

In This Installment * Why methamphetamine

is a threatening scourge

* How methamphetaminealters abusers’ brains

* Toxic threats of chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine

* Why teens need know the facts about methamphetamine

* Addiction to methampheta-mine is a treatable disease

Coming Up in theNext InstallmentDangers of Inhalants

Assessment Quiz

Use the Activity 1Reproducible within as anAssessment Quiz todetermine your students’core base of knowledge andto test what they’ve learnedabout drug abuse, addiction,and disease.

For printable past and current articles in the HEADS UP series, as well as activities and teachingsupport, go to www.drugabuse.gov/parent-teacher.html or www.scholastic.com/HEADSUP.

AND YOUR BODY

REAL NEWSHEADS UP

ABOUT DRUGS

Dear Teacher:

To order additional freecopies of this Heads UpTeacher Edition, call 800-729-6686 and refer toNCADI MS983. For theaccompanying StudentEdition, refer to NCADIMS982.

Methamphetamine: A Threatening Scourge on Teens,Families, and Communities

The National Institute on DrugAbuse (NIDA) and Scholastic Inc. arededicated to bringing students clear,science-based information aboutdrugs and addiction. We arepassionate about this mission becauseresearch has shown that when youngpeople are armed with facts, they aremore likely to make smart choicesabout their health and their futures.

For those reasons, we are launchingthe fourth edition of Heads Up: RealNews About Drugs and Your Body. Overthe course of this school year, we willbring you a series of articles aboutdrugs of abuse that NIDA researchershave determined to be of greatest riskto the teen community.

In this first installment of theseries, we cover the scourge ofmethamphetamine, a devastating,addictive stimulant that can besnorted, swallowed, injected, orsmoked, and which is increasinglyavailable across the United States. Wewant to make sure that students

understand the devastating effects ofmethamphetamine and how it posesserious health risks not only toindividuals who use it but also toothers who never do. We want themto also know the risks from the highlytoxic chemicals that are used to makemethamphetamine. Armed with thesefacts, they can make smart choices ifever faced with this drug.

Together with our partners,including classroom teachers like you,we at NIDA are working toward aday when young people everywhereunderstand the risks of drugs and thedamage they can cause. Thank youfor helping us come closer to thattime, a time when every student inthe U.S. will know that trying drugsis always the wrong choice.

Sincerely,

Nora D. Volkow, M.D.Director of NIDA

C O M P I L A T I O N O F Y E A R 4 T E A C H E R E D I T I O N S


OBJECTIVE To give students science-based factsabout methamphetamine; to educatestudents about the ways in whichmethamphetamine can damage thebrain and immune system; to helpstudents understand that tryingmethamphetamine even once can behazardous; and to assess students’knowledge of the topics before andafter reading the article.

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS Life Science; Science in Personal andSocial Perspective

LESSON STRATEGY Introducing the Topic• Before the lesson begins, hold a class

discussion based on these questions:What is methamphetamine? What doyou know about it and how it affectsthe body and brain? What is the sourceof your information? How can youdetermine if your source is reliable?

• Tell students that they are going to seehow much they know about metham-phetamine and what the latest researchis teaching us about it. Distributecopies of Activity 1 Reproducible. Tellstudents to write their names on thepaper and label it No. 1. Then havethem answer the questions. Collectand grade the papers.

READING, DISCUSSION, ANDASSESSMENT• Have students read the article

“Methamphetamine: Toxic.Addictive. Devastating. Get theFacts!” Next, hold a discussion basedon these questions: Why is itespecially important today that teensunderstand the risks of usingmethamphetamine? What are therisks to users? To nonusers? Whathappens in the brain when a persontakes methamphetamine? What doesthe article mean when it says thatmethamphetamine “tricks” the braininto releasing high and unnatural

levels of dopamine? What are thedangers of the chemicals used toillegally make methamphetamine?

• Next, tell students it’s time to seehow much they’ve increased theirknowledge. Give them a second copyof Activity 1 Reproducible. Tell themto write their names on the paperand label it No. 2. When studentshave finished, collect the papers,score them, and compare the resultsbefore and after the lesson.

WRAP-UP • Conclude the lesson by asking

students whether they think youngpeople and adults in theircommunity understand the risks ofmethamphetamine. Have studentsbrainstorm ways of getting thesemessages across. If possible, putsome of the best suggestions intoaction.

ANSWERS TO REPRODUCIBLE QUIZ ONPAGE 3:

1. b; 2. d; 3. c; 4. a; 5. d; 6. b; 7. a; 8. a; 9. d; 10. a.

Lesson 1 Heads Up: What Do You Know About the Dangers of Methamphetamine?

Lesson 2 Heads Up: What Methamphetamine Does to Your Brain

OBJECTIVE Students use scientific data to drawconclusions about the effects ofmethamphetamine on brain chemistry,memory, and motor skills.

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS Science as Inquiry; Science in Personaland Social Perspective

LESSON STRATEGYIntroducing the Topic • Tell students that new advances in

imaging are allowing scientists tostudy the living brain to understandhow drugs affect its structure andchemistry. Ask students how theythink this capability has changedresearch, and how it can work withother types of inquiry to increase ourunderstanding of drugs and the harmthey can cause.

• Explain to students that they aregoing to read about an experiment inwhich researchers used positronemission tomography (PET), a

noninvasive imaging technique, tocompare dopamine transporter(DAT) levels in the brains ofmethamphetamine abusers withthose in non–drug users.(Methamphetamine producespleasure by releasing extra dopaminein the brain.) The study subjectswere also given memory and motorskill tests, because the researcherswanted to see if there was arelationship between DAT levels andperformance on these tests.

• Ask students why they think it’simportant to learn about howparticular drugs affect the brain.How is this information useful toscientists who study addiction? Toteenagers?

READING, DISCUSSION, ANDWRAP-UP• Hand out Activity 2 Reproducible.

Have students read the sheet andanswer the questions at the end.

• Wrap up the lesson by discussing thefollowing questions: Could spreading

the news about how dramaticallymethamphetamine affects brainstructure, memory skills, and motorskills help cut down the number ofnew users? Why or why not? Whatkinds of follow-up experimentswould you conduct if you were onthe research team? How could youset up an experiment to see whetherthe brain changes you detected arepermanent?

ANSWERS TO REPRODUCIBLEQUESTIONS ON PAGE 4:

1. Dopamine is a brain chemical that plays a keyrole in motor activity, motivation, and feelings ofpleasure. DATs move dopamine around in thebrain. 2. They knew animals given high doses ofmethamphetamine had lowered DAT levels andwanted to see if the doses of methamphetamineabused by humans also resulted in lowered DATlevels; they suspected the loss of DATs mightaffect motor skills and memory because of thelocation in the brain where DAT levels were mostreduced. 3. By using PET scans. 4. DATreductions probably result in decreases in motorand memory skills; methamphetamine abuse canresult in lower DAT levels. 5. Athlete: using thedrug may reduce chances of success by impairingmotor skills. Lawyer: using the drug may reducechances of success by impairing memory skills.

Lesson Plans for Student ActivitiesPREPARATION: Before beginning the lessons, make these photocopies: Two copies for each student of Activity 1 Reproducible“Heads Up: Methamphetamine—A Quiz” (page 3) to be used as a pre-text and post-text quiz, and one copy for each student ofActivity 2 Reproducible “Heads Up: What Methamphetamine Does to Your Brain” (page 4).

2


Heads Up: Methamphetamine—A Quiz

1. Methamphetamine is a a. hallucinogen.

b. stimulant.

c. narcotic.

d. painkiller.

2. Which of the followingdoes methamphetamineaffect?

a. the brain

b. the body’s immune system

c. the environment

d. all of the above

3. Dopamine is a brainchemical most important inregulating feelings of

a. anger.

b. jealousy.

c. pleasure.

d. déjà vu.

4. At first, methampheta-mine causes

a. an unnaturally high level ofdopamine in the brain.

b. a shortage of dopamine inthe brain.

c. the destruction of alldopamine in the brain.

d. the destruction of somedopamine in the brain.

5. Methamphetamine canbe responsible for

a. violent behavior.

b. burns.

c. explosions.

d. all of the above.

6. When methamphetamineabusers try to quit, theyoften experience

a. euphoria.

b. a lack of pleasure.

c. extreme violent impulses.

d. amnesia.

7. Methamphetamine cancause the body to heat upexcessively, which can leadto

a. convulsions.

b. lung cancer.

c. heart attack.

d. brain tumor.

8. Methamphetaminecauses alterations in theareas of the brainresponsible for

a. memory and motor skills.

b. breathing.

c. sleep regulation.


9. Which of the followingtechnologies did scientistsuse to determine thatmethamphetamine abuseresults in brain alterations?

a. X rays

b. CAT scan (ComputerizedAxial Tomography)

c. centrifuge

d. Magnetic ResonanceImagery (MRI)

10. Methamphetamineaddiction is a disease that

a. can be treated withbehavioral therapy.

b. is incurable.

c. can be easily cured withmedication.

d. is contagious.

Test your knowledge of the drug methamphetamine by answering the questions below.

S T U D E N T A C T I V I T Y 1 R E P R O D U C I B L E

3


Heads Up: What Methamphetamine Does to Your Brain

With methamphetamine blazing a destructive path across the country, it has become urgent for young people tounderstand how the drug affects the brain. The NIDA-sponsored experiment described below does exactly that.The results are dramatic.


4

The Experiment: Dopamine Transporters, Methamphetamine, and Memory and Motor Problems

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Background In 2000, when this experiment wasconducted, scientists knew that animals given highdoses of methamphetamine wound up with fewerdopamine nerve transporters, or terminals, in theirbrains. Dopamine is a brain chemical important forpleasure, motivation, and motor activity. Dopaminetransporters, or DATs, are located on the dopamineterminal and are responsible for recycling dopamineback into the neuron that released it. This is anecessary step for proper communication betweennerve cells.

Scientists can attach a radioactive compound to

DATs in humans. Then, using imaging techniques,they can measure changes in the number of dopaminetransporters to find out whether methamphetamineabusers have fewer dopamine transporters (andpresumably fewer dopamine terminals) than nonusers.

This experiment was designed to determine not onlywhether methamphetamine abuse reduced DATs, butalso whether changes in DATs could be linked tochanges in abusers’ behavior and performance.Problems with memory and motor skills have beenassociated with methamphetamine abuse, and these areboth activities that involve dopamine.

Description Scientists attached radioactively labeledcompounds to the DATs in the brains of 15 long-term methamphetamine abusers and 18 non–drugusers. Then their brains were scanned using PET(positron emission tomography), which enabledscientists to see and measure DATs. The participantswere then given four tests to assess their motor andmemory abilities:

• Timed Gait Test: Walking a straight line as quicklyas possible.

• Grooved Pegboard Test: Putting pegs into small,angled holes as quickly as possible.

• Interference Recall Test: Learning and recallingwords after a distraction.

• Delayed Recall Test: Learning and recalling wordsafter a delay.

Results When the experiment was complete, theresearchers analyzed the results. They compared the testscores and DAT levels of methamphetamine abuserswith those of the non-drug users. This is what theyfound:

DAT Levels The methamphetamine abusers, who hadabstained from drug abuse for at least 2 weeks, all hadfewer DATs than the non–drug users. The difference wasmost dramatic in the striatum, a part of the brain

associated with motivation, attention, and control ofmovement, and was evident even in a former metham-phetamine abuser who had abstained for 11 months.

Test Performance The researchers found that lowerDAT levels corresponded to worse performance on allfour motor and memory tests described above. Thesubjects with the lowest DAT levels performed worst onthe tests.

You’re the Scientist Now imagine that you’re a scientist analyzing the data from this experiment, and answerthese questions. Write your answers on the back of this page.

Understand1. What is dopamine? What does adopamine transporter (DAT) do?

2. Why were researchers interested inDAT levels in methamphetamineabusers? Why did they suspect a linkbetween DAT levels and motor andmemory skills?

3. How can you measure DAT levels ina human brain?

Analyze4. What conclusion can you draw fromthe fact that the lower a methampheta-mine abuser’s DAT level, the lowerhis/her performance on the motor andmemory tests? What does this tell you

about how methamphetamine affectsthe brain?

5. Based on the experiment results, howwould you predict methamphetamineabuse might affect the future careersuccess of a teen who wanted to be aprofessional athlete? What about a teenwho wanted to be a trial lawyer?


Y E A R 4 — T E A C H E R ’ S E D I T I O N

Dear Teacher:

In This Installment • How all inhalants are

poisonous chemical vapors.

• How inhalants can cause acondition called suddensniffing death.

• How inhalants can causedamage to the wholebody—including death.

• Why teens need to learnthe facts.

Coming Up in theNext Installment• Dangers of Prescription

Drug Abuse

Assessment QuizUse the Activity 1Reproducible within as anAssessment Quiz todetermine your students’core base of knowledge andto test what they’ve learnedabout inhalants.


5

Inhalants: A Looming Threatfor All Teens

—A message from Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of NIDA

I have an important warning to sharewith you. Some of the most dangeroussubstances abused by your studentsmay be found in the home—and evenin schools. As a group, these toxicsubstances are referred to as inhalants.They are breathable chemical vaporsthat produce mind-altering effects.Abusers breathe in toxic fumes toachieve a high. Substances that areabused as inhalants include computercleaner, nail polish remover, glue, and ahost of other products that may seem

harmless because their intoxicatingeffects are so totally unconnected totheir intended uses.

Inhalants are anything but harmless. They are dangerous poisons that can

kill in an instant. And I am troubled toreport that the use of inhalants is onthe upswing among young people—bucking the overall trend of decreasingdrug abuse among teens. NIDA’s mostrecent Monitoring the Future study, anannual survey of youth drug abuse,found a significant increase in thenumber of 8th-graders saying they hadtried inhalants at least once. Not onlythat: more than 66 percent of studentsin this age group didn’t think that

abusing inhalants once or twice wasrisky.

Monitoring the Future and otherstudies indicate that inhalant abuse isparticularly prevalent among youngteens. Some may abuse inhalants as asubstitute for alcohol because they canbe obtained easily.

This article, the second installmentin this year’s edition of Heads Up: RealNews About Drugs and Your Body, willalert your students to the real dangersof inhalant abuse and explain to themwhy the smart choice is never to tryinhalants—not even once.

In addition to sharing this articlewith your classes, there is one otherstep you can take to keep your studentssafe from inhalants. Encourage schoolofficials and parents to store householdproducts carefully; they should bekeenly aware of the temptations thatthese dangerous substances pose toyoung people (as well as the danger ofaccidental inhalation by very youngchildren).

Thank you for devoting a portion ofyour valuable classroom time tosharing this key message aboutinhalants with your students. As ever,we deeply appreciate your willingnessto play a vital role in NIDA’s mission:helping young people everywhereunderstand the risks of drugs and thedamage they can cause.

Sincerely,

Nora D. Volkow, M.D.Director of NIDA


Lesson 1 Heads Up: What Do You Know About Inhalants and Their Dangers?

Lesson 2 Heads Up: Learning How Inhalants Become Drugs of AddictionOBJECTIVEStudents use scientific data to drawconclusions about the effects oftoluene (a toxic component of manyinhalants) on brain chemistry,behavior, and motor activity; studentslearn that the chemicals in inhalantvapors can lead to addiction.NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATIONSTANDARDS Science as Inquiry; Science inPersonal and Social Perspective LESSON STRATEGYIntroducing the Topic • Begin by sharing with students the

definition below of drug addiction,taken from the article “DrugAddiction Is a Disease: Why theTeen Brain Is Vulnerable,”www.scholastic.com/headsup. (Youmay want to provide this entirearticle to students as back-up.)

Drug addiction: A chronic relapsing disease that ischaracterized by compulsive drug-seeking and abuse and long-lasting chemical changes in the brain.

Based on what they’ve already

learned about inhalants from thearticle, ask students the following:Why do you think inhalants can beclassified as a drug of addiction?

• Next, explain that students are goingto read about an experiment inwhich researchers tested rats to findout how their brains and bodiesrespond to an inhalant componentcalled toluene. (The experiment isdescribed in Activity 2 Reproducible.)If the brain and body respond in thesame way that they do to many otherdrugs of abuse, this will show thattoluene may cause addictive behaviorin a similar way. The brain chemicaltested in the experiment wasdopamine because of its keyinvolvement in feelings of pleasureand motivation, as well as in motorcoordination. Ask students why andhow they think drugs are able to changethe way people behave. How do inhalantsaffect abusers’ behavior?

READING, DISCUSSION, ANDWRAP-UP• Hand out Activity 2 Reproducible.

Have students read the sheet andanswer the questions at the end.

• Wrap up the lesson by discussing the

following questions: How does theflood of dopamine in the brain thattoluene apparently causes seem to affectthe behavior of individual people whoabuse inhalants? Based on thisexperiment, what might happen totoluene abusers’ behavior if you gavethem a drug that blocked dopaminefrom getting to the NAc? What wouldyou need to know before you couldrecommend such treatment?

ANSWERS TO REPRODUCIBLEQUESTIONS ON PAGE 8: 1. Question part one: Dopamine acts on thebrain to allow people to feel pleasure andmotivation, and helps control motorcoordination. Question part two: Taking drugsthat make the brain produce unnaturally highlevels of dopamine can throw off the brain’sown ability to produce it. Abusers may thenbecome addicted and unable to experiencepleasure without the drug. 2. Scientists knewamphetamine caused roaming by flooding theNAc with dopamine. They knew thatscopolamine caused similar behavior througha different mechanism. They wanted tocompare toluene—which they knew causedroaming—to see which category it fell into.3. Question part one: That inhalants maychange abusers’ brains so that the only way tofeel pleasure is to continue inhaling. Questionpart two: Scientists can figure out ways torestore brain chemistry to normal.

Lesson Plans for Student ActivitiesPREPARATION: Before beginning the lessons, make these photocopies: Two copies for each student of Activity 1 Reproducible“Heads Up: Inhalants—A Quiz” (page 7) for a pre-reading and post-reading quiz, and one copy for each student of Activity 2Reproducible “Heads Up: Learning How Inhalants Become Drugs of Addiction” (page 8).

6

OBJECTIVETo give students science-based factsabout inhalants; to educate studentsabout the ways in which inhalants candamage the brain and body,sometimes causing death; to helpstudents understand that tryinginhalants even once can be dangerousor even deadly; and to assess students’knowledge of the topics before andafter reading the article “PoisonVapors: The Truth About Inhalants.”

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS Life Science; Science in Personal and Social Perspective

LESSON STRATEGY Introducing the Topic• Before the lesson begins, hold a

class discussion based on thesequestions: What are inhalants? Howcan they damage the body and brain?Surveys show that some teens thinkinhalants are less dangerous than theyreally are. Why might that be?

• Tell students that they are going tofind out how much they knowabout inhalants and what the latestresearch is teaching us about them.Distribute copies of Activity 1Reproducible. Tell students to writetheir names on the paper and labelit No. 1. Then have them answerthe questions. Collect and grade the papers.


“Poison Vapors: The Truth AboutInhalants.” Next, hold a discussionbased on these questions: What arethe key dangers of inhalant abuse?Why do you think many young teensdon’t understand the risks of inhalants?Does the fact that many inhalants haveinnocent purposes, such as cleaning,make them seem less dangerous?

• Next, tell students it’s time to findout how much they’ve increasedtheir knowledge. Give them a

second copy of Activity 1Reproducible. Tell them to writetheir names on the paper and labelit No. 2. When students havefinished, collect the papers, scorethem, and compare the results.Share the results with studentsbefore and after the lesson.

WRAP-UP• Conclude the lesson by asking

students what they think might bethe most effective way to informyoung people about the dangers ofinhalants. Ask them if they thinkproducts that are abused asinhalants should carry warninglabels, or if it should be against thelaw to sell products like computercleaner to young people.Brainstorm ways that your classcould spread the word about therisks of abusing inhalants.

ANSWERS TO REPRODUCIBLE QUIZ ONPAGE 7: 1. b; 2. b; 3. b; 4. d; 5. d; 6. d; 7. a; 8. c; 9. a; 10. c.


Heads Up: Inhalants—A Quiz

1. Most inhalants areactually intended to bea. prescription drugs.

b. household and officeproducts.

c. painkillers.

d. cold medicine.

2. How do inhalants windup in abusers’bloodstreams?a. Abusers inject them.

b. Abusers breathe them in.

c. Abusers take them in pillform.

d. All of the above.

3. Some inhalants aresafer than others. a. true

b. false

4. Which of the followingorgans or body systemscan be seriouslydamaged by inhalantabuse?a. the nervous system (brain,

spinal cord, and nerves)b. the heartc. the liverd. all of the above

5. The inhalant nitrousoxide can rob the bodyof _______, causingdeath.a. blood

b. essential vitamins

c. dopamine

d. oxygen

6. Which of the following isnot a risk of inhalantabuse?a. hearing loss

b. blackouts

c. sudden sniffing death

d. none of the above

7. Toluene, a chemicalfound in many inhalants,can cause musclespasms, tremors, andhearing loss. It does soby breaking downa. a nerve coating called

myelin.

b. a section of the inner earcalled the cochlea.

c. the brain’s balance center.

d. nerve cells in the nose.

8. Benzene, a toxic component of gasoline fumes, can cause aplastic anemia, an often fatal disease of the a. liver.

b. lungs.

c. blood.

d. brain.

9. When toxins frominhalants stay in thebody for a long time,they are stored ina. fatty tissue.

b. muscle tissue.

c. the inner ear.

d. the stomach.

10. A recent survey foundthat more than _______of 8th-graders didn’trealize that regularuse of inhalants isharmful.a. 2 percent

b. 8 percent

c. 38 percent

d. 66 percent

Test your knowledge of inhalants. Choose the correct answer to each question.


7


Heads Up: Learning How Inhalants BecomeDrugs of Addiction

Among the known risks of inhalants are severe brain damage, physical disabilities, and even death. In addition tothese risks, new scientific evidence points to how inhalants also act upon the brain like other drugs of addiction.

Recently, two NIDA-sponsored researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson studied how rats are affectedby toluene—a chemical found in many inhalants, including gasoline, spray paint, and glue. If the scientists couldshow that toluene’s effects on the brain are similar to those of other drugs of addiction, it would help them figureout how to battle inhalant abuse. Read about the experiment, then answer the questions below.


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The Experiment: A Change in Dopamine Levels Is Behind a Toluene-Induced Behavior Change

BACKGROUNDResearchers Art Riegel and Edward French knew thatwhen toluene was given to rats, it caused increasedmotor activity, known as “roaming.” The researcherswanted to see whether this behavioral change in therats’ motor activity resulted from heighteneddopamine activity in their brains’ pleasure center.

It was known that some drugs that cause roamingand feelings of extreme pleasure—including the drugamphetamine—do so by increasing dopamine in aregion of the brain called the nucleus accumbens

(NAc for short). The NAc is sometimes called thebrain’s pleasure center, and dopamine is sometimescalled the pleasure chemical.

Dopamine is a naturally occurring brain chemicalthat is important for pleasure, motivation, and motoractivity. When people take drugs that cause the brainto produce unnaturally large quantities of dopamine,it can throw off the brain’s own ability to produce thischemical. Drug abusers become unable to feelpleasure without taking drugs. This is the start of thedisease known as addiction.

DESCRIPTIONTo test whether the increased roaming in rats that

were given toluene is related to dopamine activity, theresearchers compared toluene’s effects on two groupsof rats. One group was made up of ordinary lab rats.The other group had a procedure done so thatdopamine was blocked from reaching the NAc region

of their brains. If the dopamine-blocked rats showedroaming activities, scientists would know it couldn’tbe caused by dopamine in the NAc.

Next, scientists injected the two groups with threedrugs: toluene, amphetamine (which acts throughdopamine in the NAc), and scopolamine (whichinduces roaming, but not through dopamine).

RESULTS• As the scientists expected, the normal rats showed

increased roaming when given toluene,amphetamine, or scopolamine.

• The dopamine-blocked rats reacted differently.Their roaming response to toluene was 55 percentless than in normal rats given toluene. Theirroaming response to amphetamine was 67 percentless than in normal rats given amphetamine. Their

roaming response to scopolamine was the same asin the normal rats.

• “The findings put inhalants squarely in the samecategory as other drugs of abuse, suggesting that asimilar mechanism of action is involved,” explainedDr. Riegel. “There is a strong likelihood that theyare highly addictive substances and that some of thesame strategies that work for other addictions mayeffectively combat inhalant abuse as well.”

YOU’RE THE SCIENTISTNow imagine that you’re a scientist trying to understand and interpret this experiment. Answer the followingquestions.

1. What does dopamine do in our brains in itsnatural state? How can the dopamine system bedamaged by drugs of abuse?2. Can you think of a reason why the researchersinjected the rats not only with toluene, but withamphetamine and scopolamine, too?

3. What do you think the results say about whypeople might repeatedly abuse inhalants even whenthey know they are dangerous? How can scientistsuse this information to help inhalant abusers?



Dear Teacher:In This Installment • What is prescription drug

abuse?

• How does prescriptiondrug abuse cause harm?

• Dangerous myths aboutprescription drugs

• Sports and steroid abuse

Coming Up in theNext Installment• Drugs in social settings

AssessmentOpportunitiesLook inside for creativescience-based lessons and tosee how you can test whatyour students are learningabout prescription drugabuse.


9

Prescription DrugAbuse: Teens inDanger

—A message from Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of NIDA

A serious threat to your studentsmay be lurking in their families’medicine cabinets. New research bythe National Institute on DrugAbuse (NIDA) and other federalagencies is revealing a troubling risein prescription drug abuse amongyoung people—and among adults aswell. The increase in abuse ofprescription painkillers by teens hasbeen slight but at a persistent levelof high use.

This installment of Heads Up: RealNews About Drugs and Your Bodygives students essential science-based information aboutprescription drug abuse and theharm posed by the most commonlyabused medications. The articleexplains what prescription drugabuse is—and isn’t—and dispelsharmful myths.

In addition to sharing anddiscussing the article with yourstudents, be mindful that parentsand other adults should useprescription drugs as directed, then discard any leftover pills.Medications with potential for abuse—particularly painrelievers, antianxiety medications (benzodiazepines), and stimulants—should not be kept in easy-accesslocations such as medicine cabinets.Your assistance in delivering thisimportant information to students isinvaluable; it does make a difference.

Thank you for joining me and the team of NIDA scientists in ourefforts to bring students the factsabout drug abuse. Together, we can all look forward to a day whenstudents across the countryunderstand that abusing drugs—any drugs, whether prescription orstreet drugs—is never the rightdecision.

Sincerely,

Nora D. Volkow, MDDirector of NIDA


Lesson 1 Heads Up: What Do You Know About the Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse?

Lesson 2 Heads Up: Understanding Social Neuroscience

OBJECTIVEStudents gain an understanding abouthow social environment affects brainchemistry and susceptibility to drugabuse.

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATIONSTANDARDS Science as Inquiry; Science in Personaland Social Perspective

LESSON STRATEGYIntroducing the Topic • Discuss with students what they

know about the brain chemicaldopamine: it is a neurotransmitterthat causes feelings of pleasure whenit binds with dopamine receptors inthe brain. Review how drug abusecan interfere with the dopaminesystem. (See Reproducible 2 fordetails.)

• Ask students if they think a person’senvironment can affect how likely heor she is to abuse drugs. Ask if theythink the effect is totallypsychological, or if environmentcould actually affect brain chemistry.

• Tell students they are going to readabout a NIDA-sponsoredexperiment with monkeys thatinvestigated how and why being in asocially stressful or enrichedenvironment can affect susceptibilityto drug abuse. Explain that this lineof research is called social neuroscience.Discuss what they think the termmight mean. Break it down bydiscussing the meaning of theindividual words—“social” and“neuroscience.”

• Hand out Reproducible 2. Havestudents read the sheet and answerthe questions at the end.

ANSWERS TO REPRODUCIBLEQUESTIONS ON PAGE 12:

1. The monkeys in the enrichedenvironment had 20 percent moredopamine receptor function.

2. The monkeys that experienced astressful environment. A possible reasonmay be that being in an enrichedenvironment had a positive influenceon whether the monkeys took drugs.

Answers to questions 3 and 4 will vary.• Wrap up the lesson by discussing the

following questions: What is socialneuroscience? How can findings fromsocial neuroscience help scientists findnew ways to prevent drug abuse? Canyou think of any social neuroscienceexperiments that could be conductedwith humans?

Lesson Plans for Student ActivitiesPREPARATION: Before beginning the lessons, make these photocopies: two copies for each student of Activity 1Reproducible “Heads Up: Prescription Drug Abuse—A Quiz” (page 11) for a pre-reading and post-reading quiz, and onecopy for each student of Activity 2 Reproducible “Heads Up: Social Neuroscience—A New Frontier in the Study of DrugAbuse” (page 12).

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OBJECTIVETo give students science-based factsabout prescription drug abuse; toeducate students about the most oftenabused prescription drugs and theharm they can cause; to help studentsunderstand that using medicinesprescribed for someone else can bedangerous or deadly; and to assessstudents’ knowledge of the topicsbefore and after reading the article.

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDSLife Science; Science in Personal and Social Perspective


discussion based on these questions:What is a prescription drug? What doesit mean to abuse a prescription drug? Isit ever OK to take a prescription drugthat was not prescribed specifically foryou? Can prescription drugs be asdangerous as illegal drugs?

• Tell students that they are going tosee how much they know aboutprescription drug abuse and whatthe latest research is teaching usabout it. Distribute copies ofReproducible 1. Tell students towrite their names on the paper andlabel it No. 1. Then have themanswer the questions. Collect andgrade the papers.


“Prescription Drugs: Their Use andAbuse.” Next, hold a discussionbased on questions that the articlemay prompt, such as: What are somepossible reasons that prescription drugabuse is on the rise? List some mythsabout prescription drug abuse. How doyou think people came to believe themyths? What can be done to dispelthem? What do you think should bedone to stop the abuse of anabolic steroidsby professional athletes?

• Next, tell students it’s time to seehow much they’ve increased theirknowledge. Give them a secondcopy of Reproducible 1. Tell them towrite their names on the paper andlabel it No. 2. When students havefinished, collect the papers, scorethem, and compare the resultsbefore and after the lesson.


students what they think ought to bedone to end prescription drug abusein their community. Does theanswer lie in education, bettercontrol of the distribution of drugs,or tougher law enforcement? Whatcould be done in each of those threerealms that would help lower abuserates among adults and teens?

ANSWERS TO REPRODUCIBLE QUIZ ON PAGE 11:

1. b; 2. d; 3. d; 4. a; 5. b; 6. a; 7. c; 8. d; 9. d; 10. b;11. c.


Heads Up: Prescription Drug Abuse—A Quiz

1. A prescription drugcannot legally bebought or sold withouta. a safety cap.

b. a doctor’s permission.

c. a pharmacist’s permission.

d. a parent’s permission.

2. Which of the followingis safe to do if you’re inserious pain?a. take a pain medication

prescribed for yourmother

b. take a pain medicationprescribed for a friend

c. take double the dose thatis prescribed for you

d. none of the above

3. Opioids are prescriptiondrugs used to treata. viruses.

b. obesity.

c. infection.

d. pain.

4. When abused, opioidscan result in death bya. stopping one’s breathing.

b. stroke.

c. speeding up the heartbeat.

d. causing the body tooverheat.

5. Certain prescriptionstimulants are used totreat a. sleeplessness.

b. attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

c. pain.

d. autoimmune disorders.

6. Abuse of prescriptionstimulants can result in a. high body temperature.

b. infection.

c. depressing respiration.

d. liver cancer.

7. Benzodiazepines arealso known asa. stimulants.

b. steroids.

c. antianxiety medications.

d. painkillers.

8. Which drug has been inthe news because of itsabuse by athletes whowant to build strengthand endurance?a. Ritalin

b. opioids

c. OxyContin

d. anabolic steroids

9. Abusing steroids canresult ina. facial hair growth in

women.

b. premature heart attacks.

c. psychiatric problems.


10. Two of the mostcommonly abusedopioids area. Valium and Adderall.

b. OxyContin and Vicodin.

c. Xanax and Librium.

d. Oxandrin and Anadrol.

11. A recent survey ofAmericans ages 12 and older found that_________ abused aprescription drug atleast once in 2004.a. 1.3 percent

b. 4.3 percent

c. 6.1 percent

d. 9.3 percent

Test your knowledge of prescription drug abuse by answering the questions below.


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Heads Up: Social Neuroscience—A NewFrontier in the Study of Drug Abuse


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Under normal circumstances, dopamine (a brainchemical) is released in your brain when somethingpleasurable happens. When a drug abuser takes a drug,it causes an unnaturally large flood of dopamine in thebrain. Over time, the brain gets used to having all theextra dopamine around. As a result, the number ofdopamine receptors in the brain starts to drop. Becauseof that, the abuser can’t feel pleasure without the hugeflood of dopamine that only drugs can provide.

By studying the dopamine system, NIDA scientistshave discovered that people who happen to have fewerdopamine receptors in their brains are more likely tofeel pleasure when exposed to drugs that enhance the

dopamine system. That may in turn make themvulnerable to abusing drugs.

Now, NIDA researchers are trying to find out whatcauses variation in dopamine receptors. It is turning outthat environment can actually influence brain chemistry,including the number of dopamine receptors in thebrain. This has led to a new field of research calledsocial neuroscience. This research examines howneurobiology and the social environment interact in theprocesses of initiation, maintenence, relapse, andtreatment of abuse and addiction. Read below about asocial neuroscience experiment involving monkeys, theirenvironment, and drug use, then answer the questionsbelow.

Introduction: Drug Abuse and Dopamine

Description • Researchers measured the number of dopamine D2

receptors in a group of monkeys’ brains usingpositron-emission tomography (PET). At this time,the monkeys were housed individually.

• Researchers then housed the monkeys in groups offour, and social hierarchies formed naturally. Somemonkeys became dominant and some becamesubordinate. For those that became dominant, thenew environment modeled “environmentalenrichment,” but for those that became subordinate,it modeled “socially derived stress.”

• After the social hierarchies were formed (3 months),the researchers again scanned the monkeys’ brainsusing PET. They discovered that the monkeys that

had experienced a socially enriched environment had20 percent more dopamine receptor function thanwhen they had been housed individually. Thedopamine receptor levels of the monkeys that wereexperiencing socially derived stress, however, wereunchanged.

• After the last PET scan, the monkeys were taught tooperate machines that dispensed cocaine. They couldtake cocaine whenever they wanted it.

Findings The dominant monkeys took much less of thedrug than the subordinate monkeys.Implications These findings suggest that, regardless ofan individual’s past, positive environmental change mayresult in biological changes that “protect” the individualfrom the pleasurable or motivational effects of drugs.

The Experiment: Social Environment and Dopamine Receptors

1. How did experiencing an enrichedenvironment affect the concentration ofdopamine receptors in the monkeys’ brains?

2. Which monkeys took more of the drug—those that experienced an enrichedenvironment, or those that experienced astressful environment? What is a possiblereason for this?

3. What are some stressful environments forhumans? What are some examples ofenriched environments?

4. Based on this research, what can people doto protect themselves from drug abuse andaddiction?

You’re the ScientistImagine that you’re a scientist trying to understand and interpret this experiment. Answer the followingquestions on the back of this page.

Dominant Monkeys Subordinate MonkeysEnvironment Enriched Stressed

Dopamine receptor function 20% higher Unchanged

Response to available cocaine Took a little Took a lot



Dear Teacher:In This Installment • The science of why it’s

hard to say no

• Drug-refusal strategies

• Looking inside the teenbrain

• What to do if you seesomeone overdosing

AssessmentOpportunitiesLook inside for creative,science-based lessons and tosee how you can test whatyour students have learnedabout drug-abuse trends,drug abuse in social settings,and effective ways to say “No, thanks.”


13

Drug Abuse inSocial Settings:A Serious Riskfor Teens —A message from

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of NIDA

Teens are social beings. As ateacher who works with adolescents,you definitely won’t find thatshocking! Probably more thananyone, you understand howimportant it is for teens to feel like they fit in—that they’re part of the crowd.

Unfortunately, this strong socialinstinct among teens—whichcertainly has some positive aspects—can put them at high risk for drugabuse, especially in social settingssuch as parties and after-school

hangout sessions. This year’s fourthand final installment of Heads Up:Real News About Drugs and Your Bodydeals with the issues of adolescentdrug abuse in social situations.

The issues are real and important.Researchers have found that mostteens who abuse drugs first do so in social settings. If we can cut offthis route to drug abuse andaddiction, we may save many youngpeople from lifetimes of drug-related problems.

This article in the Heads Up seriespresents the issue to readers in astraightforward way, and reveals thescience behind why it can be sotough for teens to make smartdecisions in social settings. It alsooffers research-tested drug-refusalstrategies that students can draw onas they navigate the teen socialmaze this summer.

Along with this sober subjectmatter, the article also shares goodnews. The results for 2005 are infrom NIDA’s annual Monitoringthe Future survey, and teen druguse is stable, with indications of acontinuing general decline for arecord fifth year in a row, exceptfor certain prescription drugs.

Thank you for working with meand the team of NIDA researchersto bring science-based facts aboutdrug abuse to your students. Bytaking classroom time to share thelessons of Heads Up with yourstudents this year, you have helpedto set the stage for a healthier,smarter, drug-free generation ofyoung adults. You are truly makinga difference.

Sincerely,

Nora D. Volkow, MDDirector of NIDA


Lesson 1 Heads Up: What Do You Know About Drug Abuse in Social Settings?

Lesson 2 Heads Up: Understanding Drug-Abuse StatisticsOBJECTIVETo help students develop anunderstanding of statistics, find outhow scientists collect and use statistics,and use their knowledge to interpretdata from the 2005 Monitoring theFuture survey (www.monitoringthefuture.org), an annual study of thebehaviors, attitudes, and values ofteens in America.

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS Science as Inquiry; Science inPersonal and Social Perspective

LESSON STRATEGYIntroducing the Topic • Explain to students that statistics is a

branch of math dedicated toanswering questions by usingnumbers. Scientists use statisticalmethods to collect, analyze, and drawconclusions from data. Have studentsthink of ways in which statistics areused to help people understand theworld. (Examples may include baseballstatistics and student-performanceanalyses, such as class rank.)

• Tell students that many types of

scientists use statistics. One of themost common statistical tools is thesurvey or poll. In a survey to trackdrug use among teens, for example,a scientist might ask surveyparticipants whether they have useda particular drug in the past 12months. Scientists analyze the resultsto determine facts about drug useamong teens. Have students recallsurveys they have heard about lately.What do they think was the purposeof those surveys?

• Explain to students that, in general,the larger the number of peoplesurveyed, the more accurate thesurvey results will be. Statisticians(mathematicians who studystatistics) call the number of peoplesurveyed the sample size. If you ask10 teens the question, “Do youconsider drug abuse to bedangerous?” you will not get areliable snapshot of how teensnationwide feel about the dangersof drugs. But if you have a samplesize of 50,000 teens from all 50states, you are more likely to get anaccurate picture.

• Hand out Reproducible 2. Tellstudents that they are about toexamine and analyze parts of a realstatistical study that provides factsabout teen drug use.

• Wrap up the lesson by discussingthe following questions: Why doscientists collect statistics? How dostatistics help in the battle against drug abuse? Were you surprised by any of the data you examined in thereproducible? Why? What type ofquestions would you include in aMonitoring the Future–style survey in your school?

For more information about theMonitoring the Future study, referstudents to www.monitoringthefuture.org.

Lesson Plans for Student ActivitiesPREPARATION: Before beginning the lessons, make these photocopies: Two copies for each student of Activity 1Reproducible “Heads Up: Drugs in Social Settings—A Quiz” (page 15) for a pre-text and post-text quiz, and one copy foreach student of Activity 2 Reproducible “Heads Up: Teens and Drug Abuse—Understanding the Statistics” (page 16).

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OBJECTIVETo give students science-based factsabout why the risk for drug abuse ishigher in social settings such as parties;to show students that abusing drugs isnot the norm among teens; to providestudents with research-tested drug-refusal strategies; and to assessstudents’ knowledge of the topicsbefore and after reading the article.

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS Life Science; Science in Personal and Social Perspective


discussion based on these questions:Where do you think most kids who abusedrugs have their first drug experience?Why is it sometimes difficult to say no ina social setting; for example, if someoneoffers you a slice of cake or a piece ofcandy after you have made up your mindto get healthier by avoiding refined

carbs? Could those same reasons apply toturning down drugs? Why do some teenshave a hard time saying no to drugs atparties—even when they don’t reallywant them?

• Tell students that they are going tosee how much they know about thelatest research into teen drug abusein social settings and drug-refusalstrategies. Distribute copies ofReproducible 1. Tell students towrite their names on the paper andlabel it No. 1. Then have themanswer the questions. Collect andgrade the papers.

READING, DISCUSSION, ANDASSESSMENT• Have students read the article “A

Day in the Life of a Teen.” Next,hold a discussion based on thesequestions: Are you surprised to learnthat most teens overestimate theamount of drug abuse among theirpeers? How might the media play arole (TV, movies, news programs, etc.)?Why is the urge to imitate so powerful

among adolescents? How can you resistit? Should teens avoid social situationsas a way of avoiding the temptation touse drugs? Why or why not?

• Next, tell students it’s time to seehow much they’ve increased theirknowledge. Give them a second copyof Reproducible 1. Tell them to writetheir names on the paper and label itNo. 2. When students have finished,collect the papers, score them, andcompare the results before and afterthe lesson.


students what they think would bethe best way to teach teens drug-refusal skills: giving them materialsto read, or offering opportunities torole-play tough social situations?Discuss whether your school oughtto offer classes, and whether theyshould be optional or mandatory.

ANSWERS TO REPRODUCIBLE QUIZ ONPAGE 15: 1. b; 2. a; 3. d; 4. b; 5. c; 6. b; 7. a; 8. c; 9. b; 10. d.

ANSWERS TO “YOU’RE THE SCIENTIST”QUESTIONS ON PAGE 16:

1. Rose sharply from 1999 to 2001; beganto decline after 2001. 2. Fell from 1999 to 2003. (Small rise in 2004 was notstatistically significant.) Fell further between 2004 and 2005. Word: Decline. 3. Methamphetamine abuse showed steadydecline; ecstasy abuse rose, then fell. 4. Ecstasy did after an initial increase andmethamphetamine followed the trend.


Heads Up: Drugs in Social Settings—A Quiz

1. What percentage of10th-grade studentssay they’ve used illicitdrugs in the last year? a. 50 percent

b. nearly 30 percent

c. 15 percent

d. less than 5 percent

2. When teens guess howmany of their peersuse illicit drugs, theguess is usuallya. too high.

b. too low.

c. about right.

d. exactly right.

3. The part of the brainknown as theprefrontal cortex isfully developeda. around age 5.

b. around age 10.

c. around age 15.

d. around age 25.

4. The last part of thebrain to develop is thearea responsible fora. emotions.

b. decision-making andimpulse control.

c. understanding complexfacts.

d. breathing.

5. When you see othersuse illicit drugs, it canbe tempting because the brain is wired tolearn first bya. repetition.

b. rote.

c. imitation.

d. reading.

6. Most teens ___________the amount of pressureothers will put on themto use illicit drugs.a. underestimate

b. overestimate

c. don’t care about

d. read about

7. As a teen, each timeyou repeat an activityor skill the pathwaysin your brain are a. strengthened.

b. unchanged.

c. weakened.

d. not used.

8. Practicing saying “No,thanks” to drugs________ teens’likelihood of abusingdrugs.a. raises

b. has no effect on

c. lowers

d. confuses

9. If you suspect a friendmay be overdosing ondrugs or alcohol, youshoulda. let your friend try to sleep

it off.

b. call 911 immediately.

c. wait 10 minutes, thendecide what to do.

d. give your friend coffee.

10. Which of the followingis a symptom of a drugoverdose?a. extreme confusion

b. seizures

c. loss of consciousness

d. all of the above

See how much you learned from the article by answering the questions below.


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Heads Up: Teens and Drug Abuse—Understanding the Statistics


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• One of scientists’ main tools for understandingdrug-abuse trends among teens is the annualMonitoring the Future survey. In this survey,approximately 50,000 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-gradestudents in public and private schools across thecountry answer questions that provide informationabout teen drug-abuse behaviors and attitudes. TheMonitoring the Future survey has been doneessentially the same way for more than 30 years, soscientists trust the trends that the data reveal.

• Students participating in the survey fill outquestionnaires in school. (All answers are keptconfidential.) Scientists then tally and analyze theanswers. They compare the current year’s resultswith those from previous years to see how drugabuse among teens is changing. Armed with theseresults, scientists can target research and drug abuseprevention efforts in areas that most need them.

• Scientists must take precautions when interpretingthe Monitoring the Future results. For example, an increase in the percentage of students sayingthey’ve used a particular drug doesn’t necessarilymean use of that drug is on the rise. The rise has to be larger than the margin of error, which is an estimate of how a survey would vary if it weretaken multiple times using a different group ofpeople each time. Statisticians (mathematicians who study statistics) have devised formulas todetermine the margin of error and whether a result is or isn’t statistically significant, meaning it didn’thappen by pure chance. The formulas take intoaccount sample size (number of people surveyed), the number of possible answers, and the number of people giving each answer. Scientists use theformulas to help them analyze data from surveys such as Monitoring the Future.

Introduction: 2005 Monitoring the Future Survey

Now it’s your turn to analyze and interpret statistics from the 2005 Monitoring the Future survey. The two bar graphsbelow chart 12th-graders’ use of two drugs with very harmful health consequences: ecstasy and methamphetamine.

Interpreting the Data: Findings From the 2005 Monitoring the Future Survey

Percentage of 12th-grade students sayingthey used ecstasy at least once in 12 monthsleading up to the survey

Write your answers on the back of this page.1. How did ecstasy abuse among 12th-graders change

between 1999 and 2005? When did it rise? Whendid it fall?

2. How did methamphetamine abuse among 12th-graders change between 1999 and 2005? What word best describes the overall trend?

3. What is the main difference between the ecstasy graph and the methamphetamine graph? (Don’t look at the numbers; look at the general trends shown in the graphs.)

4. The Monitoring the Future survey has found ageneral decrease in drug abuse among teens since the late 1990s. Did ecstasy and methamphetamine follow this trend?

0

2

4

6

8

10%

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

5.6

8.2

9.2

7.4

4.54.0

3.0

Percentage of 12th-grade students sayingthey used methamphetamine at least once in12 months leading up to the survey

0

2

4

6

8

10%

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

4.7 4.33.9 3.6

3.2 3.42.5

Methamphetamine:A stimulant with highpotential foraddiction. Abuse also can lead to psychoticbehaviors and stroke.

Ecstasy (MDMA):A human-made drugchemically similar to both stimulantsand hallucinogens.Research in animalsindicates it candamage the brain. In high doses, it can lead to organdamage, includingheart failure, and torare but potentiallylethal hyperthermia.

You’re the Scientist

Documents

COMPILATION OF YEAR 4 TEACHER EDITIONS HEADS UP REAL … · result in lower DAT levels. 5. Athlete: using the drug may reduce chances of success by impairing motor skills. Lawyer: