Alzheimer Project HBO Documentary [2009] - Chapter 4
Momentum in Science - 1 (Avanços da Ciência - 1)

Brazilian portuguese subtitles

Amidst the heartbreak of Alzheimer's, there is real reason for hope. This two-hour, two-part documentary takes viewers inside the laboratories and clinics of 25 leading scientists and physicians, who seek to discover what can be done to better detect and diagnose Alzheimer's, delay the onset of memory loss, affect the brain changes associated with the disease, and ultimately prevent Alzheimer's disease altogether. Two years in the making, the documentary travels coast to coast to explore this complex disease, which scientists believe may have no single cause, but may develop from a number of factors that interact over many years. Scientists are zeroing in on both genetic and environmental factors that might cause Alzheimer's or protect against it. The series delves into the intriguing links to heart disease and diabetes, as well as the potential benefits of exercise or diet. Groundbreaking advances in brain imaging are allowing scientists to peer into the living brain to see the disease at its earliest stages, and revolutionary approaches to treating and preventing Alzheimer's, such as vaccines, are reaching final stages of drug testing.


Part 1

- Understanding how the brain changes

Scientists have said that the human brain is the most complicated organ in the body—in fact, many claim that it is the single most complex natural or man-made entity on our planet.


Part 2

Seeing the living brain

Some have called this time a golden age of neuroscience. Advances in many areas, from molecular biology to genetics, have accelerated the pace of discovery far beyond what could be imagined a few decades ago.

Part 3

Search for disease pathways

What causes Alzheimer's disease? What starts and promotes the disease process that leads to an overabundance of beta-amyloid, a buildup of plaques and tangles, and loss of function and death among brain cells?

Part 4

Changing the outloook

Scientists have made many breakthrough discoveries about the way Alzheimer's disease begins and progresses. Researchers have made tremendous strides in understanding the major pathological characteristics of AD in the brain, beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, though our knowledge is still incomplete.

see more and see by flash player (no brazilian portuguese subtitles:  
http://www.hbo.com/alzheimers/momentum-in-science.html