Damage and disease in the human brain, including CT and PET scanning
I can describe some of the difficulties in studying and treating damage in the nervous system and brain.
Damage and disease in the human brain, including CT and PET scanning
I can describe some of the difficulties in studying and treating damage in the nervous system and brain.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The importance and difficulties of investigating brain function and damage, including safety and ethical considerations.
- Use of CT and PET scanning to study the brain.
- Difficulties in treating disease and damage in the nervous system and brain (e.g. lack of mitosis in neurones).
- Potential treatments for disease and damage in the nervous system and brain (e.g. stem cells).
Keywords
Ethical - relates to whether an action and its consequences are right or wrong
Informed consent - consent obtained from a patient where they fully understand the procedure and its implications
Mitosis - a type of cell division that produces genetically identical cells
Stem cell - a cell that can differentiate into specialised cells
Common misconception
Understanding the ethics of research practices is complex and often misunderstood. The details of various brain scanning techniques are complex and also confusing.
Ethical practices are discussed with examples and changes through history to give context. Brain scanning techniques are illustrated and explained, with follow up tasks.
To help you plan your year 10 biology lesson on: Damage and disease in the human brain, including CT and PET scanning, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 biology lesson on: Damage and disease in the human brain, including CT and PET scanning, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 biology lessons from the Coordination and control: the human nervous system unit, dive into the full secondary biology curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
parts of the brain become damaged, affects muscles, e.g. slow movement
associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning, e.g. memory
causes frequent seizures
involves having a low mood that affects day-to-day living
when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off
Exit quiz
6 Questions
uses x-rays to scan a patient’s body showing slices of the body
uses a radioactive substance to emit gamma rays that can be detected