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The Brain's Behind The Program

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By MARINELLA MOZZICATO

Tribune correspondent

Published: April 12, 2008

UNIVERSITY AREA - Muller Elementary fifth-graders probably will think twice about bicycling without a helmet or diving into a swimming pool this summer.

Ellie Lastra, a teacher at More Health, gave 60 students a lesson on injury prevention and brain function last week at the Tampa General Rehabilitation Center. More Health is an outreach program that teaches children health, safety and injury prevention.

"The brain is the captain of our body," Lastra said. "It's in control, and we need to protect it."

On one tray sat a model brain the same size, shape and weight of a normal human one; on another sat one with a hematoma, or bruise.

"One good hit in the head can destroy your speech, memory or even your sight," Lastra said.

As a group, the magnet school students named people who wear helmets, such as firefighters, football players and construction workers. Lastra said that it's just as important to wear a helmet when riding a bike or skating.

Justin Stark, director of the Florida Spinal Cord Injury Resource Center, talked to students about making good choices when it comes to safety.

"All of you have a little voice in your head that says, 'This is kind of risky,' " Stark said. "Listen to that voice."

With warmer weather approaching, Stark told students they should beware of diving into pools or lakes. While the shallow ends of pools are often labeled, lakes are often too murky to see the bottom.

That's why Stark recommends jumping in feet first. Lastra said the right depth for an average-size fifth-grader to dive into is 8 to 10 feet.

"The brain and spine work together like a pitcher and a catcher," Lastra said. "It doesn't matter how high you fall from. If you land on your head, it could leave you paralyzed."

While the students are too young to drive, Lastra said they are old enough to express their concerns if their lives are in danger. She told students to speak up if a driver has been drinking or seems distracted by things such as text messaging.

In addition to encouraging the students to keep their heads safe, Lastra showed them what healthy brains can do.

She pointed to the wrinkles, or convolutions, on the outside of the model brain. Those wrinkles, which store memory, make up a thin layer around the brain called the cerebral cortex. Laid out flat, it's about the size and thickness of a newspaper sheet.

Lastra said a lot of memorization is done by association. She held up a sign that revealed only the top half of what appeared to be the word "SCIENCE." Students were surprised when the entire word was revealed as "6CI5NC5."

Students learned about the cerebellum, which is used for coordination and balance. One student had no trouble catching a pen that Lastra dropped from above. But when she dropped a dollar bill, he scrambled to catch it.

"You knew where the pen was going to go when I dropped up it," Lastra said. "The dollar bill is unpredictable."

In another coordination test, the students were told to rub their abdomens while patting their heads and hopping on one leg and spinning in a circle. By the end of the exercise, the students were bumping into one another.

Students also toured the rehabilitation center and Aeromed helicopter.

Karen Pesce, execute director of More Health, said the outreach program gives lessons to more than 138,000 students each year in Hillsborough County.

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