The Brain in Health and Disease

Rationale

Many of the low performing schools in districts across the nation have students who are also from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Ninety percent of the students at my school receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch; they fall into the low socioeconomic group. However, when it comes to eating breakfast and lunch, they would rather buy junk food from the vending machines. Observations of my students have revealed that many of the students select the french fries or nachos for lunch, instead of salads, meats, vegetables and fruits. The majority choose the items that have the least nutritional value or skip lunch altogether. Thus, it leads me to believe that my students may not understand the brain needs certain foods that include specific fats and complex carbohydrates to function properly. I want my students to make correlations between what they eat and how their choices could be impacting their performance in school. I want them to understand that their diet is needed for more than giving them the sensation of satisfaction, but that it has a direct impact on their academic success, their mood and emotions, and their physical well-being. Students need to learn that the body has some nutrients that can only be obtained from the foods they eat, and deficiencies in these nutrients can spell trouble for the brain both structurally and functionally. I also want students to understand that all fats are not unhealthy and that certain carbohydrates are necessary for the brain.

When we talk about the human body, there are many facts we accept and hold to be true without a challenge. We do not disagree with the idea that strong bones and teeth need calcium. We eat meat because it has been stated that our muscles need protein which we know meat can provide. When reports stated we needed to reduce our fat intake to help protect our heart, Americans accepted it, and manufacturers capitalized on it with a non-fat, low-fat multi-million dollar consumer business. However, when was the last time we saw an ad that recommended eating fatty acids and complex carbohydrates to ensure a healthy brain? Reports have begun to emerge because of extensive research performed by scientists who work in the area known as neuroscience (branch of science that studies the structure and function of the brain and the nervous system); however, they have not yet received the attention that campaigns for a healthy heart have gotten. Extensive studies have been conducted that support the idea that deficiencies in the essential fatty acids, and consumption of simple carbohydrate foods instead of complex carbohydrates cause the brain to work at a less than an optimal level and set the stage for a lower IQ and disruptive behavior. ⁷ Studies have demonstrated that children who have deficiencies in the essential fatty acids (those fats that must come from the diet because the body cannot manufacture them) have difficulty learning, exhibit reading problems, and have a higher rate of school failure. ⁸ The brain also needs a continuous supply of energy. Complex carbohydrates are the food source that will provide this energy. The complex carbohydrates are critical for the proper functioning of the brain. Many of today's low-fat, low-carbohydrate diets are creating less than optimal conditions for our brains. In order for the brain to develop structurally and function properly, it needs specific fats and complex carbohydrates.

Diets that consist of the foods many of my students eat provide a quick uptake of sugar, which provides a quick but short-term boost of energy. These quick energy fixes do come at a price, for along with quick energy comes increased blood sugar levels that cause the body's insulin levels to increase to accommodate the sudden sugar rush these foods provide. Continuous increases in blood sugar and insulin can lead to problems such as diabetes, heart disease and some types of neurological degenerative diseases, aggression, poor memory, poor attention and depression. ⁹ Simple sugars do not provide long term energy to the brain, thus the neurons do not get the energy they need to function properly.

My unit will focus on fatty acids and complex carbohydrates that impact the biochemical function of the brain and aid in the structural development of the brain. The unit will show the chemical reactions used to convert carbohydrates to glucose, which is then used as energy for the brain so that nerve cells can do their respective jobs. The unit will also strive to demonstrate how deficiencies and overloads of these two nutrients can impact learning, mood, and physical alertness. Students will have opportunities to learn about the brain through a variety of technical support devices as well as through hands-on inquiry based activities. We will study the structure of the brain and how the brain uses specific chemicals to create interactions within the body, with emphasis placed on those structures that utilize fatty acids and carbohydrates for our day-to-day functions. We will also investigate how and why the body needs fats and complex carbohydrates for its structural development and function. These two key nutrients will be the focus of the chemical aspect of the brain, with the acknowledgement that other nutrients are also needed. However, I selected these key nutrients, because fatty acids and carbohydrates have been linked to memory and learning. I have also selected these two nutrients because the students I teach eat them in large quantities. Thus, I want my students to learn the difference between healthy required fats and unhealthy non-essential fats as they relate to the brain. I want them to discover healthier carbohydrates and steer away from the high sugar carbohydrates to enhance their brain's energy levels for optimal brain function.

A comparative observation study involving a sheep brain and a human brain will be conducted. The emphasis of the comparative study will be to compare the brain development and size of a sheep brain to a human brain. Emphasis will be placed on the different diets each mammal utilizes and how the diet may have impacted the brain. Some connections to the evolution of the human brain will be made as they relate to early man's diet and consumption of fatty acids. The essential idea for students to think about here is how fatty acids could be a factor in the development of the two brains. A diet plan for the sheep will be provided for the students. This will also provide the students an opportunity to see firsthand how the formation of the brain relates to fats, by giving them an opportunity to touch and get up close observations of brains.

The demographics of my school are that 97 percent of the students are African American. Approximately half of these students come from single parent homes where they either reside with their mother or father. Approximately two percent of the student body is Hispanic, and about one percent is White. Seventy percent of the parents at our school have educational backgrounds that are beyond high school, with less than 10 percent of the parents falling into the category of not completing high school.

The primary target group of this unit will be eighth grade students in physical science. However, seventh grade students could also use components from the unit when studying body systems to help them understand the nervous system. Because I teach students on three different levels, differentiated activities will be incorporated to meet the needs of my gifted, high achiever, and general population students.