Human Brain, The (7 Parts)

Synopsis

Series looking at the human brain, in particular, its role in controlling the mind, memory, language, sight, fear and movement.
1: What part, if any, does the brain play in understanding or controlling itself? Considers the alternative theories of monoism, the belief that the mind does not exist separately from the brain, and dualism, the belief that it does.
2: How does the brain record and store memories? The study of brain cell activity has provided the first clues towards finding the answer but human memory remains a mystery.
3: Stroke victims are helping scientists in their attempts to understand how the brain controls language skills. The study of damaged brains shows clearly that, for most people, language skills are located chiefly in two areas of the brain, both on the left side. It is now possible to map the pathways in the brain used for listening, speaking or reading, and new techniques show the living brain in action inside the skull.
4: The parts of the brain used to plan movement can be seen to be active long before the muscles work. But what form does the plan for action take? How much is it the product of unconscious thought and how much of conscious? Is a computer which produces coherent and lifelike movements and can even write, really thinking? Parkinson’s disease is associated with unconscious movement problems, but the disease is caused by a chemical disorder in the brain which can be relieved by drugs. So, is the will to move just a chemical process?
5: Images are projected upside down on to the retina at the back of the eye. Why then are they not seen upside down? Susannah Fienes volunteered to take part in a one-week experiment wearing spectacles which invert the image on the retina, and to her surprise the world did not appear upside down. There is more to seeing than meets the eye, as it is the brain which interprets the image that falls on the retina.
6: A novice parachutist poised to make his first jump; a young violinist steps on to the stage to play a difficult solo; a girl suffering from spider phobia is asked to let a spider run over her hand. Three situations seen in the programme in which the emotion of fear is manifested in physical sensations - a pounding heart, sweating hands, turmoil in the stomach. But why are these sensations linked so closely with emotions, of which fear is the most powerful? The programme considers the evidence of new experiments in identifying the chemicals involved.
7: One day in 1961 an Oxford undergraduate went mad. In the 20 years that followed he was admitted to psychiatric hospitals on nine occasions - sometimes unwillingly, sometimes for as long as a year. Gradually, under various treatments, he has regained his sanity. In the programme he looks back over his illness - the disordered thinking, hallucinations and delusions symptomatic of schizophrenia. Looks at the treatment which the patient, his mother and his psychiatrist believe put him on the way to recovery.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 7 x 50 min.

Year of production

1982

Availability

Sale; 2000 sale: £350.00 (+VAT +p&p) series

Subjects

Medical sciences; Psychiatry; Psychology

Keywords

anatomy; brain; emotions; perception; physiology - human; vision

Credits

Producer

Dick Gilling; Robin Brightwell

Writer

Dick Gilling; Robin Brightwell

Sections

Title

Self, The

Synopsis

1: What part, if any, does the brain play in understanding or controlling itself? Considers the alternative theories of monoism, the belief that the mind does not exist separately from the brain, and dualism, the belief that it does.

Title

Memory

Synopsis

2: How does the brain record and store memories? The study of brain cell activity has provided the first clues towards finding the answer but human memory remains a mystery.

Title

Language

Synopsis

3: Stroke victims are helping scientists in their attempts to understand how the brain controls language skills. The study of damaged brains shows clearly that, for most people, language skills are located chiefly in two areas of the brain, both on the le

Title

Moving

Synopsis

4: The parts of the brain used to plan movement can be seen to be active long before the muscles work. But what form does the plan for action take? How much is it the product of unconscious thought and how much of conscious? Is a computer which produces c

Title

Seeing

Synopsis

5: Images are projected upside down on to the retina at the back of the eye. Why then are they not seen upside down? Susannah Fienes volunteered to take part in a one-week experiment wearing spectacles which invert the image on the retina, and to her surp

Title

Fear

Synopsis

6: A novice parachutist poised to make his first jump; a young violinist steps on to the stage to play a difficult solo; a girl suffering from spider phobia is asked to let a spider run over her hand. Three situations seen in the programme in which the em

Title

Madness

Synopsis

7: One day in 1961 an Oxford undergraduate went mad. In the 20 years that followed he was admitted to psychiatric hospitals on nine occasions - sometimes unwillingly, sometimes for as long as a year. Gradually, under various treatments, he has regained hi

Production Company

Name

Australian Broadcasting Commission

Name

BBC Television

Name

Belgische Radio en Televisie

Distributor

Name

BBC Active Video for Learning - now BBC Learning

Contact

Carolina Fernandez Jeremy Wilcox (CF - for educational enquiries JW - channel sales manager)

Email

BBCStudiosLearning@bbc.com

Web

https://www.bbcstudioslearning.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 20 8433 1009

Address

BBC Studios Limited
Television Centre
101 Wood Lane
London
W12 7FA
UK

Notes

The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’