E Survey

OMB #: 0925-0542

Expiration Date: 4-30-08

Form E

Brain Power!

The NIDA Junior Scientists Program

Grades 4–5

Student Knowledge Questionnaire

Your Secret Number: ______

Directions: Please circle the best answer.

Lesson 1

1. Which drug is always illegal?

a. Caffeine

b. Cocaine

c. Alcohol

d. Medication for headaches

2. Which drug is legal only for adults?

a. Medication for headaches

b. Cigarettes

c. Caffeine

d. Medication for colds

Lesson 2

3. This part of the brain:

• Is in the back of the head

• Controls posture, movement, and balance

• Is used when you play basketball or pick up your backpack

Which part is it?

a. Cerebellum

b. Brain stem

c. Limbic system

d. Cerebral cortex

4. This part of the brain:

• Has two parts (pons and medulla)

• Controls bodily activities that happen automatically, like sleeping, waking, and dreaming

• Is at the top of the spinal cord, near the bottom of the brain

Which part is it?

a. Cerebellum

b. Brain stem

c. Limbic system

d. Cerebral cortex

5. This part of the brain

• Is divided into a left and a right hemisphere

• Is the largest part of the brain

• Is responsible for artistic expression, thinking, and understanding

Which part is it?

a. Cerebellum

b. Brain stem

c. Limbic system

d. Cerebral cortex

6. This tool for studying the brain:

• Takes pictures of a living person’s brain

• Can show which parts of the brain are more active or working

• Is very expensive

Which tool is it?

a. PET scan

b. SPECT scan

c. MRI

d. CAT scan

7. This tool for studying the brain:

• Uses magnets and radio waves to create pictures

• Shows the structure of the entire brain, not just the parts that are working

• Can be uncomfortable for the patient who must lie still in a small space for a long time

Which tool is it?

a. PET scan

b. SPECT scan

c. MRI

d. CAT scan

Lesson 3

8. What is a synapse?

a. A chemical that carries messages from one neuron to another

b. The space between two neurons

c. The name for the smallest part of the brain

d. An electrical impulse that travels down the axon

9. What is the job of a neurotransmitter?

a. Carrying messages across the synapse

b. Making new neurons

c. Protecting the brain

d. Changing information into electrical signals

10. Which statement about neurotransmission is false?

a. Neurotransmission is the passing of information from one neuron to another.

b. Drugs can disrupt neurotransmission by blocking receptors.

c. Drugs can disrupt neurotransmission by stopping neurotransmitters from being broken down properly.

d. During neurotransmission, one neurotransmitter performs many different functions.

Lesson 4

11. Which drug is a stimulant?

a. Marijuana

b. Alcohol

c. Inhalants

d. Nicotine

12. This stimulant

• Is powerful, addictive, and always illegal

• Also comes in a form called “crack”

• Can cause the heart to beat faster or even stop working at all

Which stimulant is it?

a. Ritalin

b. Caffeine

c. Cocaine

d. Nicotine

13. This stimulant

• Is a prescription drug that can help a person concentrate on his/her schoolwork

• Helps people with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)

• Can be very dangerous when taken by people who do not need it

Which stimulant is it?

a. Ritalin

b. Caffeine

c. Cocaine

d. Amphetamines

Lesson 5

14. Which drug travels through the blood to every organ in the body?

a. Inhalants

b. Marijuana

c. Alcohol

d. Nicotine

15. This drug

• Usually has a strong odor

• Prevents oxygen from reaching the brain

• Can cause a heart attack or suffocation

Which drug is it?

a. Caffeine

b. Alcohol

c. Cocaine

d. Inhalants

16. This drug

• Can be smoked or eaten from foods it has been cooked into

• Contains a chemical called THC that causes someone to feel slow and disoriented

• Can increase heart rate and even cause cancer of the lungs, throat, and mouth

Which drug is it?

a. Marijuana

b. Alcohol

c. Ritalin

d. Inhalants

Lesson 6

17. What is addiction?

a. A disease that changes the way the brain works

b. Drugs that make people sleepy

c. A disease that attacks a person’s lungs

d. A type of equipment that scientists use

18. What is it called when an addicted person has an intense craving for a drug when he/she doesn’t have it?

a. Compulsive use

b. Withdrawal

c. Tolerance

d. Reliance