Student worksheet on the "Mouse Party" activity, detailing the neural effects of heroin and marijuana.

The image you've uploaded is a worksheet titled "Mouse Party Neural Data Matrix" from the Genetic Science Learning Center (GSCL) at the University of Utah. It's designed to help students understand how different drugs affect the brain by interacting with neurotransmitters and receptors.

Here’s a breakdown and explanation of what this worksheet is asking for, along with guidance on completing it correctly:

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🔍 Purpose of the Worksheet

This activity uses an interactive simulation called "Mouse Party" available at:
> [http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/units/addiction](http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/units/addiction)

In this simulation, users observe how three drugs—Heroin, Ecstasy (MDMA), and Marijuana—affect neural communication in the brain by altering neurotransmitter activity.

Students are asked to fill out a table summarizing:
1. The drug
2. The neurotransmitters involved
3. The action of the drug
4. A summary illustration showing how the drug affects neurons

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## ✔ Step-by-Step Explanation & Corrections

Let’s go through each row and clarify the correct scientific information based on neuroscience principles.

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1. Heroin

#### ✔️ Neurotransmitter(s) Involved:
- Opioid receptors (specifically mu-opioid receptors)
- Dopamine (indirectly via inhibition of inhibitory neurons)

> Note: Heroin doesn’t directly release dopamine but activates opioid receptors → inhibits GABAergic interneurons → disinhibits dopamine neurons → increases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.

#### ✔️ Action of Drug:
Heroin crosses the blood-brain barrier and is converted into 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), which binds strongly to mu-opioid receptors. This binding:
- Inhibits GABA-releasing neurons
- Leads to increased dopamine release in the reward pathway
- Produces euphoria, sedation, pain relief, and respiratory depression

#### 🖼️ Summary Illustration (Sketch Tips):
- Draw a neuron releasing dopamine.
- Show heroin molecule binding to opioid receptor on a presynaptic neuron.
- Indicate that this blocks GABA release, leading to more dopamine being released.
- Use arrows to show “inhibition” of inhibitory neurons (GABA).
- Label: *Heroin → Opioid Receptor → ↓GABA → ↑Dopamine*

✔ Your sketch looks mostly correct! Just ensure clarity in showing disinhibition.

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2. Ecstasy (MDMA)

#### ✔️ Neurotransmitter(s) Involved:
- Serotonin (5-HT)
- Also affects dopamine and norepinephrine, but primarily serotonin

#### ✔️ Action of Drug:
MDMA causes:
- Reversal of serotonin transporters (SERT) → serotonin is pushed *out* of the neuron into the synapse
- Increases serotonin levels dramatically
- Causes serotonin depletion over time (leading to mood issues after use)
- Also increases dopamine and norepinephrine

Effects: Euphoria, emotional closeness, increased energy, empathy

#### 🖼️ Summary Illustration (Sketch Tips):
- Draw a neuron with serotonin vesicles.
- Show MDMA molecules entering the neuron and reversing the SERT transporter.
- Arrows should show serotonin being pumped out of the neuron instead of being reabsorbed.
- Include labels: *MDMA → SERT reversal → ↑Serotonin in synapse*
- Optional: Show serotonin depleting over time

⚠️ You have some writing visible, but it seems incomplete or messy. Make sure your sketch clearly shows:
- Serotonin being released *from* the neuron
- Transporter flipped (normally reuptake; now reverse transport)

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3. Marijuana (THC)

#### ✔️ Neurotransmitter(s) Involved:
- Cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) — mainly CB1 in the brain
- Endocannabinoids like anandamide and 2-AG
- THC mimics endocannabinoids

#### ✔️ Action of Drug:
- THC binds to CB1 receptors located on presynaptic neurons
- Activates these receptors → reduces calcium influx → decreases neurotransmitter release
- Particularly affects glutamate and GABA release
- Results in altered perception, memory impairment, relaxation, reduced coordination

> THC does not act like a classic neurotransmitter but as a receptor agonist that modulates synaptic transmission.

#### 🖼️ Summary Illustration (Sketch Tips):
- Draw a neuron with CB1 receptors on its surface
- Show THC molecule binding to CB1 receptor
- Show reduced release of glutamate or GABA (use fewer vesicles)
- Add arrow indicating "↓Neurotransmitter Release"
- Label: *THC → CB1 receptor → ↓Glutamate/GABA release*

✔ Your sketch appears to include THC binding and decreased signaling — good start!

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## 📝 Final Recommendations

| Column | What to Do |
|-------|------------|
| Neurotransmitter(s) Involved | Be precise: e.g., “Serotonin (5-HT), Dopamine, Norepinephrine” not just “serotonin pathways” |
| Action of Drug | Use clear cause-effect language: “binds to X receptor → inhibits Y → increases Z” |
| Summary Illustration | Keep it simple: neuron, synapse, drug molecule, receptor, direction of action |

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## ✔ Corrected Table (Example)

| Drug | Neurotransmitter(s) Involved | Action of Drug | Summary Illustration (Description) |
|-----------|--------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
| Heroin | Opioid receptors, Dopamine | Binds to mu-opioid receptors → inhibits GABA neurons → increases dopamine | Heroin binds to opioid receptor → stops GABA release → more dopamine released |
| Ecstasy | Serotonin, Dopamine, Norepinephrine | Reverses serotonin transporter → forces serotonin out of neuron → surge in serotonin | MDMA enters neuron → reverses SERT → serotonin floods synapse |
| Marijuana | Cannabinoid (CB1), Glutamate, GABA | THC binds CB1 receptors → reduces neurotransmitter release → alters brain function | THC binds CB1 → less glutamate/GABA released → impaired cognition |

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## 💡 Bonus Tip:
Use color coding if allowed:
- Red = excitatory (e.g., glutamate)
- Blue = inhibitory (e.g., GABA)
- Green = drug molecule
- Yellow = neurotransmitter

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If you'd like me to generate a clean version of the completed table with illustrations described, I can provide text-based diagrams or suggest how to draw them clearly.

Would you like that?