Summary: This collection of 34 video clips (1 minute to 2 minutes 30 seconds each) takes a close look at mental health and the human mind. Aspects of chronic stress, sleep disorders, seasonal affective disorder, depression, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia are covered, along with insights into brain architecture and the psychological benefits of exercising, meditating,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: Ticking away inside the human body are the timepieces that govern our daily and seasonal lives. This program shows how these biological clocks dictate physiological behavior—determining when our brains are most alert, when our stomachs are ready to break down food, and when our bodies want to sleep. Viewers learn why most babies are born in the early morning, why most teenagers want to sleep...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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Summary: Comatose after a car accident, Paul Nadler defied medical prognoses that he would never walk or talk again. This award-winning program illustrates his recovery from severe brain trauma and his return to a highly physical and creative lifestyle. Using the innovative visual approach Nadler developed as a television director, the film allows the artist to explain his frustrations and goals in his...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: In this program, Dr. Jonathan Miller investigates both the predictable and the unexpected effects of damage to Broca's and Wernicke's areas on patients' abilities to communicate verbally and through sign language. In his efforts to expose the physiological roots of language expression, Dr. Miller traces the evolution of brain research, from the scientific blind alley of phrenology to the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: From the noise of our urban landscape to the musical cocoons created by high-tech devices, sound may be our most lively and versatile interface with the world. This program takes viewers on a sonic odyssey that assesses the frequently overlooked impact of what we hear. Defining the concept of sound, the documentary takes a mind-blowing CGI tour through the human ear and its vibration-decoding...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: In this program, John McWhorter, author of The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language; Lyle Campbell, of the University of Utah; Brian Joseph, of The Ohio State University; and population geneticist Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza examine factors that contributed to the diversification and spread of languages, including early migration, the introduction of agriculture, and genes. Language...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Hallucinogenic plants may be the oldest drugs in the world, and were probably used in rituals during prehistoric times. In the 20th century, LSD and ecstasy became the hallucinogens of choice. This program recounts how science has gradually become aware of the properties of hallucinogens, both natural and synthetic. It also provides a detailed look at the effects of such substances on the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Starting right from infancy, this program charts the development of language during childhood. Basic language acquisition, learned from rudimentary and higher-level child/caregiver interactions, is described. Aspects of competence that go beyond the purpose of simple communication are also considered, including the skill of using conversation for establishing and furthering social...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Why does tolerance for alcohol differ so widely from person to person? Do genetic factors make alcoholism unavoidable in some people? Should we drink at all? This program searches for answers, following addiction expert Dr. John Marsden as he observes-and participates in-experiments that assess alcohol's neurological and physiological impact. After exploring basic chemical and evolutionary...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Feared and misunderstood for centuries, epilepsy is now a completely manageable condition for many patients. This program overviews newly developed treatments that have greatly reduced, and for some people eliminated, the occurrence of epileptic seizures. It also presents case studies suggesting that the disabling prejudice which has traditionally surrounded epilepsy is fading-and that it no...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Epilepsy is the second most common neurological disorder in the U.S. This program examines its causes, what happens in the brain during a seizure, and what should and should not be done to help someone having a seizure. The diagnosis and treatment of the condition are discussed by physicians who present up-to-date information to help families, friends, and coworkers recognize the needs and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Whether it is due to a specific time of life or a particular style of living, hormones are believed to alter moods and erode bodily health. In this program, endocrinologist Lorraine Fitzpatrick, of the Mayo Clinic; a woman who has kept a video diary charting her monthly bouts with PMS; and a cast of teens and seniors investigate how hormones affect different stages of life, such as puberty and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The human nerve center never rests-even during sleep, it works diligently to process and build on the information gathered by our senses. Of course, healthy sleep is only one of many vital ingredients the brain needs to develop and thrive, as this film illustrates in detail. Other factors discussed in the program include ongoing contact with negative (deterring) and positive...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2003
View online at AVOD
Summary: As neural research and digital technology converge, many scientists envision a so-called singularity event in which humans and computers become inseparable. This program explores that possibility, focusing on the work of key players in brain research and artificial intelligence. Drs. Jose Delgado, Miguel Nicolelis, and Philip Kennedy-all pioneers in brain/computer interfacing-explain their...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: A landmark study of the facial expressions of native Papua New Guineans suggests that all human beings share six basic emotions. But what happens in the brain to trigger those emotions, and how do emotional responses differ according to age and experience? In this program, Dr. Susan Greenfield considers past attempts to explain emotions in terms of brain areas-and then asserts that the answers...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Is the most exhilarating of human emotions simply nature's way of keeping our species alive and reproducing? This program studies the behavior of men and women as they experience the magical feeling of attraction; it also presents a lively look at what happens inside a love-struck brain. Commentary from renowned anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher reveals the significance of vocal cords, sense of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program looks at nerve signals and how they are transmitted. It looks at the part played by nerve messages in reflex activities and at both the chemical and electrical activities of networks of nerve cells in contact.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The Selfish Gene is frequently misread as a biological justification for ruthless behavior. In this classic program, author Richard Dawkins sets the record straight through an exploration of selfishness and enlightened self-interest built upon evidence from the Prisoner's Dilemma game and real-world non-zero-sum social situations. "The tragedy of the commons," symbiotic behavior among animals,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program provides useful guidelines and advice to caregivers assisting people with mental impairments. The two major classifications of impairment are closely examined: dementia, or degenerative diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer's, and mental disorders due to congenital conditions, such as Down syndrome. Techniques on how to communicate with and assist elderly people are demonstrated....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Neuropathologist Dr. Marco Rossi examines different human brain specimens and presents evidence of trauma or disease. Brains examined include those of a 59-year-old woman with dementia; an 82-year-old man who suffered a road accident; a young man with a shunting tube for hydrocephalus; an elderly man with Parkinson's disease; an elderly female stroke victim; and a middle-aged woman with...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Recent laboratory research indicates that emotional neglect of children during their first few years of life can have long-term biochemical consequences. In this outstanding documentary, anthropologists from Cornell and Emory Universities and other experts share their findings on the subtle biochemical link between parental attentiveness and the proper development of a child's brain regions...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Children with autism turn into adults with autism: an obvious fact, but one that remains inadequately addressed by society. Through the uplifting stories of Paul deSavino and Jamie Hoppe, two adults with autism who enjoy the support of their parents, life coaches, and others dedicated to their well-being, this ABC News program looks at America's overall unpreparedness in helping such adults...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program examines the role that our senses play in providing us with information about the world around us. Our brain depends upon the information from all our senses being integrated so that the brain is provided with consistent data that it can use to direct our actions. The program demonstrates how the senses of sight and balance operate as well as how they interact with each other. The...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: In the 1940s, an Australian doctor discovered an astonishing treatment for what was then known as manic depression. At a time when electric shock, lobotomy, and Freudian psychotherapy were the only approaches to treating the disorder, lithium changed the way the medical establishment thought about mental illness and neuroscience and initiated the era of psychopharmacology. This program tells...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006