Search - NOVA: Secrets of the Mind on DVD

Classroom response

D. Pollock | nyc | 06/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a high school IB Biology teacher I showed this video as part of a unit on the brain. Students were most taken with Case #1: Phanton Limb. I followed the case with two hands on exercises (from the teaching materials) that allow students to experience phantom sensations. I ended the lesson with a reading called "The Man Who Fell Out of Bed" from an Oliver Sachs book, followed by the online actvitiy "Probe the Brain" (PBS) which simulates the Penfield sensory motor cortex findings. A very stimulationg little lesson!"

Interesting and Educational!

Loyd E. Eskildson | Phoenix, AZ. | 11/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In "Secrets of the Mind" we gain insights through various tragedies that have affected others, thanks to the logic and insights of Professor Ramachandran regarding what he calls the most complex organized matter in the universe.

The DVD begins with "phantom limb syndrome" - pain and sensation in missing body areas. Ramachandran's reasoning, confirmed through a CAT-scan, is that the brain has a map of various body areas, and that eg. the right arm and right face areas of the brain are adjacent. Thus, missing body areas can lead to interference by those associated brain areas trying to cope with stimulus deprivation - eg. "cross-wiring."

However, we are still left with the problem of treating pain in a body-part that no longer exists. Dr. Ramachandran found that placing the remaining opposite body part (eg. hand) into a mirror-box fools the mind into receiving feedback from the missing part and no longer sending ever-increasing (and unmet) signals that cause the pain.

Visual activities take up almost half the human brain. Dr. Ramachandran is confronted with an individual who can "see" (detect) movement but not recognize what the object is. His explanation is that there are two pathways from the eye in humans: one to the visual cortex that recognizes the object, and other to the brain stem that simply senses movement. Thus, when the visual cortex link is severed, one would only be able to recognize movement of a fly, but not the fly itself - perhaps the way a lizard views the world. Similarly, he says to driving - most of the time it is done without consciousness while the conscious brain is taken up in talking of other thinking.

Dr. Ramachandran believes that there are some 30 areas in the brain concerned with seeing - separate areas for color, movement, shape, distance and depth perception, etc. Interference/damage to any one of these areas can lead to oddities - eg. an individual believing his parents are impostors when the emotional response area is cut.

Finally, viewers are told that some people with temporal seizures have intense religious or emotional experiences, possibly believing they are a prophet or even God, or sensing an intense emotional reaction to everything - even a grain of sand."

Engrossing

E. Laway | Temecula, California United States | 07/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"if you are the least bit curious on how the mind works and the infinite mysteries that it holds then this DVD is for you. Some of the fascinating things that scientists, psychologists and physcians have discovered about the inner workings of the brain is unfortunately the result of brain injured patients. These people are the subjects of this DVD. It concerns their weird symptomalogies after surviving a truamatic, mechanical head injury, all of them real interesting subject matters but ofcourse the star of the show is the charismatic and engaging, Dr Ramachandran. He's obviously very smart and the top of his field, Nueroscience but he also has the enthusiasm of a keen five year old boy. His best asset is his charm and the rare ability to transform his own fascination about the brain into an interesting and compelling subject for the average, lay viewer. The camera loves him and he knows how to engage the camera. He would make a personable science TV host. The subject matter is interesting in itself for people in the medical field but Ramachandran makes it interesting for everyone. Highly recommended, it can be purchased by itself or as a set of three DVD's. But I thought it fair to review each DVD individually."

Disappointing

B. Henry | Cincinnati | 03/26/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Watched this some weeks ago and really can't remember it other than to say it was not what I was looking for. Thought it would give more info about how the mind works, diseases of the mind, basic anatomy and physiology but seems that it only focused on a few stories of people with mind issues. More of a bio on those few featured rather than an overview of the mind itself. Returned this one immediately and again got great service/full refund from Amazon.com, thanks!"