This Web site is based upon a printed publication of the same title that has an accompanying CD-ROM. Because of the limited number of printed supplements, this online version has been created for people outside the 9–12 education community.

The content is equivalent to the printed supplement, only in a different format. The unit consists of lesson plans, which are accessed through the Teacher’s Guide section of the Web site and the multimedia student activities, which are accessed through the Student Activities page. The Web-based activities for students are only one part of the curriculum unit. The Lesson Plans provide the framework for both the hands-on classroom activities and the Web-based multimedia activities that make up this curriculum supplement. Together, the classroom and multimedia activities enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the science behind this important topic, and how it relates to human health.

The Brain: Understanding Neurobiology Through the Study of Addiction—developed with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)—is a creative, inquiry-based instruction program, designed to promote active learning and stimulate student interest in medical topics. This curriculum supplement is designed to help students develop the following major goals associated with scientific literacy:

• to understand some basic fundamentals about neurobiology and how drugs of abuse change the brain;
• to recognize that drug addiction is a treatable, chronic brain disease;
• to experience the process of scientific inquiry and develop an enhanced understanding of the nature and methods of science; and
• to appreciate the role of science in society and the relationship between basic science and human health.

Before Getting Started

• Minimum requirements for using this Web site
• Navigating this Web site
• Guidelines for changing your QuickTime Settings

Minimum Requirements

• Pentium class IBM Compatible with Windows 95 or higher, with 64 MB RAM (96 or 128 MB recommended)
• Power PC Macintosh with Mac OS 8.6 or newer, with 64 MB RAM (96 or 128 MB recommended)
• Netscape Communicator or Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser, version 4 or better
• Apple QuickTime Plug-In, version 4 or better installed for your Web browser
• Macromedia Flash Plug-In, version 5 or better installed for your Web browser

Navigation Overview

• Main—The main opening page
• Getting Started—A brief overview of the objectives of this curriculum supplement and technical instructions for the use of this Web site
• Student Activities—The portion of the student activities that are Web-based; includes a glossary
• Teacher’s Guide—Information for teachers, including an introduction, lesson plans, masters, references, and resources
• About NIH and NIDA—Overview of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NIDA
• Map—Web site map
• Contact—Contact the NIH Office of Science Education

Changing your QuickTime Settings

The videos in the Student Activities and About NIH and NIDA sections of this Web site use QuickTime player technology. View the following tutorial if you are not familiar with setting up QuickTime for optimal performance:

Windows: Tutorial on changing your QuickTime settings
Macintosh: Tutorial on changing your QuickTime settings

Note: You need Macromedia Flash to view this tutorial.

Office of Science Education http://science.education.nih.gov

This address takes you directly to the home page of the National Institutes of Health's Office of Science Education, which provides access to a variety of resources for teachers and students, including NIH publications.