Educational Media Reviews Online

Stress, Trauma, and the Brain is made up of three separate segments - "Surviving Stress", "Inside the Brain" and "The Broken Brain." Part of the television series, Exploring Your Brain, this episode provides a solid overview of three important areas of brain research.

The first part, "Surviving Stress" looks at how chronic psychological and social stress affects the body. Researchers are investigating the roles that the "fight or flight" hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, play in long term health and disease. Examples of neglected babies who show stunted development, the decreased effectiveness of the immune system under periods of stress and the stress of social isolation are given as evidence that the mind and body work in tandem.

"Inside the Brain", the second segment, explores imaging technologies available for increased diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases and disorders. A brain tumor patient is followed through surgery to illustrate how imaging techniques can help the surgeon pinpoint the location of the growth. Changes in the field of medical imaging are coming so quickly that there is great promise in understanding brain function.

The last part of the video, "The Broken Brain" follows two head injury patients and how they each cope with different symptoms and the outlooks for their recovery. The importance of a smooth transition between the medical treatment and the rehabilitation of the brain injured patient is emphasized.

In an educational setting, Stress, Trauma, and the Brain would probably be most useful viewed as three separate segments. The professional production values and narration (by Garrick Utley), give this program a TV news magazine "feel." Recommended for undergraduate health sciences courses.