Name______Date______Class______Score: ____/ 25pts

Concussion

Introduction: A concussion is an injury to the brain caused by a blow to the head. Athletes, such as football players, sometimes get concussions during games and practices. People can also get concussions from falls, car crashes, and biking accidents. Scientists want to find out what happens to the brain when a person gets a concussion.

Task: Scientists have two models that explain what happens to the brain after people suffer a concussion. You will use the evidence to decide which explanation of what happens during/after a concussion is correct.
Model A / Model B

Use the evidence to help you choose the correct model.

Evidence 1
Scientists have found that many people have trouble remembering some things after a concussion. They often forget what happened before or after they hit their head. In addition, in one study, scientists found that 71% of athletes who got concussions had headaches in the first day after the concussion.
  • Think about how this evidence relates to each of the models that you have seen.
  • Below, draw in the arrow that you think best connects this evidence to each of the models.

Model A
Brain Activity / Model B
Brain Blood
Evidence 1

Question 1: Based on the evidence, after a concussion people forget: (1pt)

a. everything from before and after the concussion

b. nothing from before or after the concussion

c. some of what happened before and after the concussion

d. some of what happened before and none of what happened after the concussion

Question 2: What might cause a person to have a concussion? (1pt)

a. Tripping down the stairs

b. Getting into a car crash

c. Falling off a chair while sleeping

d. All of the above

Question 3: Which model (Model A - Brain Activity or Model B - Brain Blood) does Evidence 1 support? Explain using details. (3 pts)

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Evidence 2
Neurologists (scientists who study the brain) studied the brains of 20 two-year-old rats with serious concussions one year after their concussion. They used brain scanning machines to look at the brain tissue. They found that these rats had some damaged brain tissue with dead brain cells.
The neurologists also examined the brain tissue of 20 three-year-old rats that had not had any concussions. These rats did not have damaged brain tissue with dead brain cells.
In the picture, the left image shows a small piece of brain tissue from a typical rat that had not had any concussions, and the right image shows a small piece of brain tissue from a typical rat that had had a serious concussion.

Think about how this evidence relates to each of the models that you have seen.

Below, draw in the arrow that you think best connects this evidence to each of the models.

Model A
Brain Activity / Model B
Brain Blood
Evidence 2

Question 4: The scientists studied 20 rats that had had concussions: (1pt)

a. 10 years before the study

b. about 4 years before the study

c. a year before the study

d. just before the study

Question 5: What did the scientists find in the brains of the rats with concussions? (1pt)

a. Healthy brain cells

b. Strong brain cells

c. Weak brain cells

d. Damaged brain cells

Question 6:Which model (Model A - Brain Activity or Model B - Brain Blood) does Evidence 2 support? Explain using details. (3 pts)

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Evidence 3
Scientists examined the brains of one two-year-old rat before and after it received a mild concussion. They used brain imaging machines to take pictures of the rat’s brain.
The pictures show the electrical activity of the brain cells before and in the minutes following the concussion. In the pictures, the dark spots indicate locations of high electrical activity.

Think about how this evidence relates to each of the models that you have seen.

Below, draw in the arrow that you think best connects this evidence to each of the models.

Model A
Brain Activity / Model B
Brain Blood
Evidence 3

Question 7: At what times were pictures taken of the brain? (1pt)

a. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 minutes after the concussion.

b. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 minutes after the concussion.

c. Before the concussion, right when the concussion occurred, and then 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mins after the concussion

d. Before the concussion, then 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 minutes after the concussion.

Question 8: In the images, high electrical activity is indicated by: (1pt)

a. dark color

b. white color

c. gray color

d. no color

Question 9: Which model (Model A - Brain Activity or Model B - Brain Blood) does Evidence 3 support? Explain using details. (3 pts)

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Evidence 4
Scientists studied the effects of a drug called Naloxone on cats that had suffered concussions.
-Naloxone is a drug that helps get more blood flowing through blood vessels in the brain. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to brain cells. It is important that there is enough blood flowing through the brain vessels so that the brain cells can live.
The scientists studied 26 cats. 13 cats had serious concussions, and these cats were given Naloxone 60 minutes after their concussions. 13 cats had serious concussions, and these cats were given no drugs after their concussions.
The table below shows the blood flow to brain cells in each group of cats.

Think about how this evidence relates to each of the models that you have seen.

Below, draw in the arrow that you think best connects this evidence to each of the models.

Model A
Brain Activity / Model B
Brain Blood
Evidence 4

Question 10: What was given to the cats in this study? (1pt)

a. A drug that decreases blood flow

b. A drug that increases blood flow

c. A drug for cats with heart problems

d. A drug for cats with memory problems

Question 11: What was compared in this study? (1pt)

a. Cats with concussions and cats without concussions

b. Cats that took Naloxone with cats that were healthy

c. Cats with concussions and cats without concussions that took Naloxone

d. Cats with concussions that took naloxone and cats with concussions that did not take Naloxone

Question 12: Which model (Model A - Brain Activity or Model B - Brain Blood) does Evidence 4 support? Explain using details. (3 pts)

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Question 13: Which explanation is better, the Brain Activity Model or the Brain Blood Model? Give details from the evidence that supports your claim. (5pts)

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