More ways to see the brain: "clearing" techniques and MRI imaging
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Alignment
4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Learning Outcomes
- Students become familiar with different types of brain imaging techniques.
Discussion Questions
1. How do we look inside a person’s brain?
2. What is an MRI scan and who uses it?
3. Who would find microscopes useful? Why?
Video 1
Video 2
Vocabulary
Brain slide: A small slice of brain tissue put on a microscope slide
Transparent: see-through; clear-looking; lacking coloration
Clarified brain: A brain that has been chemically modified to become transparent
MRI Scan: MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging; MRI is a type of scan that doctors use to take images of the body, using radiation and magnetic fields.
Review
We can use a microscope to look at cells in brain slices
There are ways we can look at the whole brain while it is still inside someone’s head.
Both doctors and scientists use MRI scans to look at brains
