Throughout childhood, the ability to recall the past improves, but this isn't the case for John Forbes. The "hardware" for his memory was damaged at birth and he is unable to do simple tasks such as catch a bus or cook a meal because he constantly forgets what he is doing.
John's memory deficit brings another, more surprising, problem - he cannot plan for the future. In most children, this ability develops around the age of five. MRI scanning has shown that some areas of the brain used to process memories also produce our ideas about the future. So, without a past, John is also unable to imagine his own future.
Some adults, however, want to erase aspects of their past. Genevieve Smith-Courtois is haunted by a sexual assault and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. But a pioneering technique may help - by simply taking a pill, she can "tone down" her memory.
Ultimately, forgetting comes to everyone and it's believed that memory decline begins at 27. For some, the process can be devastating. John Stevenson developed Alzheimer's at the age of 52. Now he is unable to even get himself a glass of water; the loss of memory is a tragic unravelling of the self. But what puzzles scientists is how well most of us cope: a 90-year-old reminiscing about their childhood is an everyday miracle.
Horizon explores how memory defines every individual and how everyone is little more than their own memory.
Great programme, great presenter, and it produced the answers I would have expected, BUT! I was a bit miffed that professor regan added the anti-bac sprays to her shopping basket.
As I expected there is nothing in any household that any family should be worried about, the bug that was found probably offered a very low chance of causing any harm, but i would argue that using these sprays reduces the levels of bacteria we need to be exposed to in order to maintain an efficient immune system.
Hospitals efforts to kill bacteria have simply endangered our lives. Bacteria have been around far longer than any other life form and they know how to survive. Trying to kill them is pointless, it will just result in them mutating into a bacteria strain that will survive, and these un-natural bacterial strains are a massive threat to our safety.
Strange Dettol claim to be able to kill MRSA when hospitals can't, mind you hospitals have to use extremely expensive cleaners to "try" and kill the bacteria they create.
I would also argue that household sprays and air-fresheners damage the health of our children. They serve no real purpose.
I remember a programme of maybe 10 years ago called "Eat Dirt" which highlighted how infants exposed to high numbers of bacteria / pollen etc, children who lived in natural (rural) surroundings had far fewer allergy's than tyown kids.
These people are trading on fear, "your a bad parent if you don't spray every surface in your house" Just as these food claims are trading on our wish to safeguard our own and our childrens health.
Bacteria are essential to life, our friends not our enemy. FB
February 6th - 6:44pmSue said...
Hi
Is there any chance I could get a copy of this report? I am in Ireland and can't download from the horizon site BBC iPlayer?
February 6th - 4:46pmAmanda Burree said...
Would it be possible to buy the video/dvd of the horizon documentary on drugs.If so where from. Thanks Amanda
February 6th - 2:25pmSarah Rapkin said...
Hi
Is it at all possible to purchase or have a copy of the above Documentary - Horizon - Scientific Documentary. We would be very interested in receiving information on purchasing this programme. Please could you advise, with kidn regards, Sarah
January 23rd - 6:55pmN. Priestman said...
Would be useful if someone investigated the effects of isolation and lack of stimulation on the elderly in this country. How many of those incarcerated with so-called 'dementia' are there as a result of this isolation (mind numbing boredom, fear, total lack of control etc) either in their own homes (care in the commmunity) or in 'care homes'. I would bet the vast majority and even the few genuine dementia cases are made much worse by the total lack of human interaction, visual, mental stimulation, exercise. Add to that inadequate health care and diet/nutrition. For some reason we are much more concerned about the welfare of our criminals than our elderly., who we treat much worse than our criminals in prison. On top of which we make much more effort to keep the criminals out of prison than we do our elderly out of their prisons (care homes)a life sentence with no hope of reprieve for which you have to pay. Says a lot for our priorities. But of course the elderly are cash cows for a large section of society, esp. the govt.
While I am on how come there are independent, undercover assessors/secret shoppers for hotels, B & B's, restaurants, but nothing similar for care/nursing homes! which surely are much more important since once you are in you are in, no probation, no appeal, no human rights campaigners.
Add a comment