Summary: How well do we understand the neurology of learning? Why does the brain's ability to learn diminish as we age? Can science find a way to extend brain "fitness," even for the very old? This program addresses those questions as it describes important medical experiments and studies. Topics include the central role of nerve cell connections in learning and cognitive development; cerebral...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
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: 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: For centuries, many have labored under the false perception that epilepsy is a permanently debilitating condition, ironic given the success of such epileptics as Alexander the Great and actor Danny Glover. This program follows four people with the disease who have taken control of their lives with the help of their families, epilepsy education, and advancement in therapies. Dr. Martha Morrell,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program introduces the subject of multiple sclerosis, covering onset, short- and long-term physiological effects, and treatment. A pair of patients with relapsing-remitting MS describe their experiences while the late Lawrence Jacobs, a pioneer in MS research and treatment, and other MS experts emphasize the benefits of early identification and intervention in managing this autoimmune...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Parkinson's disease currently afflicts one out of every 100 Americans over the age of 60. How do they cope with it? And what new medical insights are being derived from the study of it? This program from The Doctor Is In sheds light on both of those questions through interviews with Stanley Fahn, professor of neurology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and scientific director of the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The ethical debate over embryonic stem cell use may have been rendered moot by pioneering research being conducted at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia, where Dr. Perry Bartlett and his team have isolated stem cells within the human brain. In this program, Dr. Bartlett discusses in detail the different types of stem cells, what research is being done with...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This edition of Science Screen Report looks at the design and function of the spinal cord, how damage to the cord affects body movement, and medical advances used in treating spinal cord injuries. After outlining the components of the spine and central nervous system, the program portrays studies and experiments ranging from a high-tech muscle stimulation therapy to the development of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program from The Doctor Is In studies the cases of three patients with Lou Gehrig's disease. Expert medical commentary is provided by Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D., science director of the ALS Association, and Jeffrey Cohen, M.D., a neurologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. In addition, a family care provider talks about the challenges one faces in that role. Although there is currently no...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: In this program from The Doctor Is In, families who are caregivers provide practical information on how to manage the in-home care of a loved one who has Alzheimer's. Important decisions, such as whether to use outside day care or in-home health aides, are discussed. Several hints on how younger family members can participate in the caregiving include reading or telling stories to the patient....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The experience of the family members and spouses in this program reflects that of thousands of Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers who struggle daily with the heartfelt conflict of love and obligation. This program presents examples of caregivers who have learned to cope effectively with these stresses, restoring balance in their own lives. The importance of caregiver support groups and other...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Several years after he was given less than a year to live, David, a patient with glioblastoma multiforme, is alive and cancer-free. In this program, Henry Friedman, of the Duke University Medical Center; Michael Prados, of the University of California at San Francisco; and other medical experts use case studies to show how scientific advances in the areas of brain mapping, laser surgery, and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Reudiger Gamm performs complex arithmetic instantly and without help-his brain stores numbers like a calculator. Orlando Sorrel remembers exactly what he was doing on any date, at any hour, and can accurately predict the day of the week thousands of years in the future. Kim Peek-the original "Rain Man"-has read 12,000 books and hasn't forgotten a single word. What lies behind these astonishing...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Until a cure for MS is discovered, medical science is doing all it can to help people delay the onset of MS and manage its symptoms so they can continue living physically active lives. In this program, Jerry Wolinsky and Staley Brod, of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and patients with primary-progressive and relapsing-remitting MS share their insights. After...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Using the illness of Michael J. Fox as a springboard, this program theorizes that most Parkinson's cases are the result not of heredity but of viral attacks and environmental toxins that severely damage the substantia nigra, the "gearbox of the brain." Fox, Oliver Sacks, neurologists from The Parkinson's Institute and The University of British Columbia, and others share insights drawn from...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Michael Merzenich studies neuroplasticity - the brain's powerful ability to change and adapt - and how we might make use of that plasticity to heal injured brains and enhance the skills in healthy ones. In this TEDTalk, Merzenich explores the brain's power to actively rewire itself and how science might one day harness that ability to confront disorders such as autism, cerebral palsy, dementia,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Nick van Bloss possesses astonishing musical talent. He is also afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome. As this program illustrates, the two are often linked, leading those born with the disorder to view it as both a curse and a gift. Nick's journey-taking him from the humiliating loss of his career as a concert pianist toward a more self-assured acceptance of his condition-is not only inspiring;...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: While the cause of multiple sclerosis remains unknown, knowledge of how MS attacks the body is improving. This program outlines what happens to the central nervous system and its myelin nerve sheaths when a patient suffers from MS; describes how movement, memory, and vision can be impaired; and examines recently developed medicines that can slow the advance of the disease. Identifying areas of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: What is the difference between run-of-the-mill memory difficulties and the effects of Alzheimer's disease? If an older person is experiencing more "senior moments" than usual, should he or she be concerned? What happens inside the brain of an Alzheimer's patient? This program addresses those questions with the help of expert interviews and compelling case studies. Viewers will learn how the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Alzheimer's is a disease that affects not only the patient, but all who love and care for that person as well. This poignant program allows a rare glimpse into one couple's experience with the fatal illness that tore their life apart, tracking the mental deterioration of Malcolm Pointon-husband, father, Cambridge professor, and gifted pianist, diagnosed at only 51 years of age. The documentary...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The diagnosis of celebrities such as Rita Hayworth and Ronald Reagan has brought Alzheimer's disease out of the closet and into the national spotlight. This program traces the century-long initiative to understand the disease first described by Dr. Alois Alzheimer. Patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's and family members discuss how they cope with the illness, while medical professionals...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005