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Brain

Lesson 5: Changes As Our Brains Age
Topic: Brain Health & Brain Anatomy

Part of:
Unit: It's All in Your Mind

  • Focus:   Being mentally and physically active characterize a positively aging person. Using the brain may enhance the growth of neuron branchings that occur as the brain ages. These branchings may strengthen brain connections by creating more neuron pathways for tasks. Some scientists think these additional neuron pathways may protect the brain by reducing the extent of injury from an accident or disease by providing alternate routes for brain messages to travel. By acquiring and developing new mental and physical challenges, a person may promote optimal brain function and protection, thus, increasing the quality of life.

Activities | Introduction | Objectives | Resources & Web Sites


Activities

Activity 5A: Active Elders

(health promotion, older friend, listen, interview)

 
Activity 5B: Inactive Elders

(sensitivity, aging)
 
Activity 5C: A Look At Me Elderly

(drawing, health promotion, attitude, art connection)
 
Activity 5D: Brain Maps and Neural Networks

(neural pathway, tree diagram, neural network, dendrite, neural branching, dendritic branching)
 
Entire Lesson Download (13 pages)

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Introduction

Lesson 5, "Changes as Our Brains Age," focuses on demonstrating that many older persons remain cognitively and physically active late in life. Students are asked to compare and contrast the characteristics of active and inactive elders. A central theme to this lesson is that active elders have many problem-solving skills and multiple options for completing various tasks. An analogy is drawn between neural networks and a road map. The greater the number of options in transmitting a signal in a neural pathway (the more ways of getting from point A to point B on a map), the more likely a person is to stay active and independent. This activity also includes instruction on the basic counting principle and tree diagrams to help illustrate the options in the pathways. The scientific underpinnings for these assertions relating neural networks and cognitive ability are not fully established; however, students should take away an appreciation for the complexity of interconnections between neurons in the brain and the plasticity for transmitting signals.

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Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • be able to generalize characteristics an elderly person may develop in their life to attain quality living.
  • be able to evaluate mental and physical activities status now to determine if changes need to be made to promote a healthy brain later.

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Resources & Web Sites

PBS The Aging Brain
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/episode5/index.html

Tree Diagrams
http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/math4/d/possiblecombinationl.cfm

 

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UTHSCSA Teacher Enrichment Initiatives
Positively Aging® & M.O.R.E. Curricular Programs
2007-2008 © The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Homepage: http://teachhealthk-12.uthscsa.edu