The Brain Box: A new radio feature series
The latest documentary series from the Autumn Season of ‘Documentary on Newstalk’
As part of the Autumn Season of Documentary on Newstalk, Dr. Richard Roche explores the secret world of the human brain…
What makes us human? The brain is the source of our intellect, our emotions and our personalities - but we have yet to uncover many of its secrets.
“We’ve learned more about the brain in the past 50 years than in the previous 2000”
says The Brain Box presenter and lecturer in the Department of Psychology in Maynooth University, Dr. Richard Roche.
The Brain Box, a two part radio series for Newstalk 106- 108 fm, brings listeners on a quest into our mind to uncover the secrets of the human brain, ‘the most complex entity in the known universe’, asking questions like What is intelligence?, How are memories made and lost? Is madness linked to creativity? and How close are we to creating true Artificial Intelligence?
“It’s the most complex entity in the known universe. You’ve got these three kilograms of fat, and yet the most fascinating capacities come out of it!”
- Professor Ian Robertson, Trinity College Dublin
Richard will meet experts in the field, like Professor Ian Robertson and Professor Fiona Newell from Trinity College Dublin, to talk about the brain and the things that we are still discovering every day, including new research into the exciting area of brain plasticity which states that the brain constantly evolves and adapts, even after damage and into old age, which has implications for the rehabilitation of the brain after trauma and in treating diseases like Alzheimer's.
Richard talks to Professor John Cryan about the link between the brain and the gut, Aine Behan from Cortechs about using tablet games to encourage children to focus and to Kevin Mitchell about the genetics of the brain; Nature vs Nurture.
“How do I feel about my synesthesia? I guess I would be lost without it. It’s like another sense”
- Karen Kane
Richard also uncovers the personal stories behind the mysterious workings of the brain, including Karen Kane, a synesthete, who sees colourful auras based on people’s personalities, and Seamus Cunningham, a 77 year old Dubliner dealing with his diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's in a remarkable way, and Lisa Domican, mother of two autistic children and creator of GraceApp, an app that helps children on the autistic spectrum communicate.
Episode 1 - How the Brain Works
What is intelligence, how do we learn, think and create? How do we create and lose memories and why have we learnt more about the human brain in the last few decades than the previous thousands? Neuroscientist Dr Richard Roche unravels the most complex thing in the universe.
Voices you will hear in this episode include: scientists Fiona Newell, John Foxe, Kevin Mitchell, Shane O’Mara and Olivia O’Leary and synesthete Karen Kane.
Episode 2 - How the Brain Breaks
What causes mental illness? Is genius linked to madness? What is autism and how should we treat it? And is dementia inevitable in old age? What happens to us in a stroke or brain injury and how can we recover? Scientist Dr Richard Roche explores the human brain and our quest to know ourselves.
Voices you hear in this episode include neuroscientists Niall Pender, John Cryan, Michelle Kelly, Seamus Cunningham, who has early onset Alzheimer’s, and mother of 2 autistic children Lisa Domican.
BROADCAST DETAILS:
Episode One of ‘The Brain Box’ will air on Newstalk 106-108fm on:
Saturday October 17th at 7am. Repeated Saturday October 17th at 10pm.
Episode Two of ‘The Brain Box’ will air on Newstalk 106-108fm on:
Saturday October 24th at 7am. Repeated Saturday October 24th at 10pm.
Listen Online: ‘The Brain Box’ can also be listened to online at: www.newstalk.com
Podcast: ‘The Brain Box’ will be available to podcast at: www.newstalk.com/documentaryonnewstalk after the broadcast.
CREDITS
‘The Brain Box’ is an Athena Media production was produced by Helen Shaw, and presented by Dr. Richard Roche. Research/Recording by Cormac McAdam, and Edited by Amy Millar.
The programme was made with the funding support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and the TV licence fee.
For further information about Documentary On Newstalk, please contact:
Francesca Lalor, Series Producer of Documentary on Newstalk
Email: documentaries@newstalk.com
