The Campus Coffee Shop by Heck, Novicki and Rybarczyk
Part III—Caffeine and Parkinson’s Disease
“I’ve been searching through all these scientific articles about caffeine and Parkinson’s Disease, there is a lot we can include in our biology project,” Alex said.
“I wonder, is there really a connection between caffeine and Parkinson’s Disease?” Jenna asked.
“My grandfather suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, maybe I could call him and get a first person perspective on the disease. Alex, skim through those articles and see if there is any useful information about a link between caffeine and Parkinson’s Disease while I call Granddad,” added Sally.
- Describe the biological basis for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Include specific molecules and cells involved in the pathogenesis of PD. What groups of people are most affected by PD? What treatments or cures are available for PD?
- What questions could Sally ask her grandfather about PD that might be useful for the students’ biology project?
- Based on the graph below, what do you conclude about Parkinson’s Disease? What other information would you need to properly assess the data? Propose additional ways of performing this experiment in a more controlled environment. What variables would you need to consider in your experimental design?
- Generate hypotheses to explain your conclusion(s) above. Suggest experiments to test your proposed hypotheses. Be sure to include appropriate controls in your experiments.
- Would caffeine be considered an effective treatment option for Parkinson’s Disease? Why or why not?
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