The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has developed a website with a number of articles on sensation with a special emphasis on the brain. The list of articles can be found by clicking on the icon to the left.
Looking for a way to "spice up" that lecture on the brain? (I am really, really sorry. I just could not help it.) Propaganda has created a ceramic salt and pepper shaker shaped like the brain.
Scott Olson from Towson High School, Towson, MD, has developed a fantastic brain project centered around superheroes. Scott graciously gave us permission to post his activity on the THSP Blog.
This is a short (1:49) video of a sheep brain being dissected. If you are looking for a quick clip to show to your students, this might do the trick. The original clip can be found at http://www.wellesley.edu/Biology/Concepts/Html/sheepbrain.html or simply play the video below.
The 60 Minutes June 28th (2009) broadcast included a segment which combined the neuroscience of brain imaging with mind reading.
This is the second of three postings from the "How Stuff Works" website. In this installment, the site explains the workings of the Endocrine System. Click on any of the links below to go to:
On June 12, 2008, Michael Gazzaniga presented a talk on the state of split brain research for the 12th Kenneth Myer Lecture at the Howard Foley Institute in Parkville, Australia. During the 1 hour 15 minute talk, Gazzaniga explains the history of the research including video clips of split brain patients. The talk can be found at http://www.florey.edu.au/about/news-and-events/events-at-the-howard-florey-institute/michael-gazzaniga-lecture/
The Brain, along with Pinky's help, does a quick (1:22) run through of the major parts of the brain. If the below video fails to work, do an internet search for "Pinky and the Brain" "parts of the brain". There are a number of sites (YouTube has at least two versions) of the clip.
This video clip, from the Discovery Channel and McGraw-Hill Higher Education details how the brain can "repair" itself. The video centers around the story of Jody Miller who had a hemispherectomy, the removal of one half of the brain, to control her epileptic seizures.  Neuronal Development |  Synaptic Transmission |
 The Action Potential |  Electrical Signaling in Neurons |
 Sensitization in Aplysia |  The Voltage Clamp Method |
 AMPA and NMDA Receptors |  Sound Transduction |
 The Vestibular System |  Visual Pathways in the Human Brain |
 Receptive Fields in the Retina |  Reflex Arcs |
 Receptors of the Skin |  Positron Emission Tomography (PET) |
This is one more interactive website devoted to the brain. Sponsored by the Lundbeck Institute in Denmark, the site includes basic information on neurons, neurotransmitters, the brain and nervous systems. Many students might find the "Focus on Mental Disorders" interesting. The main page of the site can be found at http://www.brainexplorer.org
Recently, a picture believed to be that of Phineas Gage holding the tapping iron which pierced his skull has surfaced. For thirty years Jack and Beverley Wilgus have own the photograph not knowing its significance. The possibility of the shot being of Gage came out when they placed it on Flickr, a picture sharing website. The couple have written an article, "Face to Face with Phineas Gage", for the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the History of the Neurosciences (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/0964704X.asp) or go to http://brightbytes.com/phineasgage/index.html.This is the first of three postings from the "How Stuff Works" website. In this installment, the site explains the workings of the Brain and Central Nervous System. Click on any of the links below to go to:
This activity, from the Steve Spangler Science website, is obviously designed for an elementary level science class. Students, in groups, use candy to create a facsimile of a neuron.
Jeff Hargett, a teacher at Rome High School (Rome, GA) has developed some simple review exercises for his biology and anatomy students. His reviews for neurons, the brain, the eye, and the ear are all applicable to a psychology course.
Exploring this website completely would probably take most of a school year. While the title suggests the site should be used in the biological influences unit, it could be used within a multitude of units within any psychology course. The site can be found at http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/
Murray Jensen, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, developed the WebAnatomy site to help teach his anatomy and physiology students the various parts of the body. While the site is better suited for an AP Biology course, psychology and AP Psychology students should find the endocrine and nervous sections very useful.
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