https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4377-9459
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ABSTRACT
Discussing substance abuse, licit or not, requires dynamism when it comes to adolescents. Games are a powerful tool to bring the subject up for discussion. Here we describe a collaborative board game designed to address this subject using current neuroscience knowledge about neurophysiology of (drug) addiction. The game highlights the action of 22 neuroactive drugs, classified into the following groups: (1) depressants; (2) hallucinogens; (3) stimulants and (4) others (anabolic steroids and prescription drugs). In addition, the game was developed to approach specific neuroscience-related themes such as: (1) brain structures (e.g. lobes); (2) cell types present in the nervous system; (3) neurotransmitter actions; (4) impact of drug abuse on the nervous system function; (5) the concept of overdose. Moreover, the game has got an educational proposal that combines the individual and social aspects of development, addressing concepts of neurosciences in a playful and stimulating way, aiming to promote not only awareness regarding the abuse of chemical substances, but also to stimulate the social development of the participants at the same time. It is worth mentioning that drug cards also bring curiosities and cultural trivia, including music and art, making it more attractive for young audiences.
Aknowledgements
This work was developed in the framework of the National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (CNPq) being also funded by other grants from PROEX (UFF) and AGIR/PROPPI (UFF). We also appreciate the kind review from Dr. Claudio Alberto Serfaty and Dra. Patricia Oliveira Silva Brooks.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. SAMSHA. Keeping Youth Drug Free (Rockville, 2017). Available from/store.samhsa.gov.
2. UNESCO & UNODC & WHO. Education sector responses to the use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs (Paris, Vienna and Geneva, Citation2017). Available from www.unodc.org.
3. Learning Genetics. UTAH University. Mouse party/Addiction: Genetics and the Brain. Accessed 17 february. https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/mouse/.