Biology of Drug Abuse and Addiction

These lessons were developed with funding from Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership Award R25DA021697 from the NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The Brain and Drugs

Students use a neuron model to illustrate the effect of drugs on synaptic transmission.

Brain and Drugs Teacher Guide
Brain and Drugs Student Guide

Drugs and Development

This hands-on lab activity simulates the movement of drugs from a mother to her developing baby.

Drugs & Development Teacher Guide
Drugs & Development Student Guide

Effects of Prenatal Drug Exposure—Long Term Studies

Students analyze the results of a long-term study of the effects of prenatal drug exposure on children. They then design an experiment to determine if prenatal drug exposure affects adolescents or adults.

Effects of Prenatal Drug Exposure Teacher Guide
Effects of Prenatal Drug Exposure Student Guide

Is Floratryp Addicting?

Conduct hands-on lab simulations to determine the effects of drugs on dopamine levels in the brain. Analyze the effect of drugs on rat behavior.

Floratryp Teacher Guide
Floratryp Student Guide

Long-Term Effects of Drug Addiction

Students perform a hands-on lab activity to investigate the long term effects of drug abuse on brain metabolism and gene expression in brain cells.

Long-Term Effects Teacher Guide
Long-Term Effects Student Guide

Modeling Effects of Drugs on Neuron Communication

Students use hands-on models to illustrate the role of neurotransmitters and receptors in cell communication.

Modeling Effects Teacher Guide
Modeling Effects Student Guide