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Programme 1 - Alzheimers Disease
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 16th at 8pm
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Alzheimers is an age-related degenerative disease of the brain that affects behaviour, funtion and cognition.  It has become one of the most common and worrisome of diseases since it's identification by Alois Alzheimer nearly a century ago.  People with this disease experience irreversible disturbance to their memory, identity and communication skills - this accounts for over 35,000 people in Ireland who have dementia, of which Alzheimer's is the most common form. The most important breakthrough in research was in the 1980s when UK scientist
Professor John Hardy discovered one of the two proteins responsible for Alzheimers. Since then his research has unearthed the gene that makes this protein. 

So what is the cause of this disease?  What can the fields of genetics, brain-cell research and epidemeology tell us about how it develops?  And what are the current treatments available?  In this programme, Ella McSweeney talks to Prof John Hardy, along with Irish scientists Dr. Dominic Walsh and Professor Brian Lawlor.  She also hears about Elan Pharmaceuticals who are developing the first ever vaccine for Alzheimers.

For more information regarding issues raised in the programme contact: http://www.alzheimer.ie/
Tel: (01) 284 6616
Fax: (01) 284 6030
E-mail: info@alzheimer.ie
National Helpline: 1 800 341 341

Programme 2 - Manic Depression
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23rd at 8pm
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Over 300,000 Irish people suffer from depression, a persistent feeling of hopelessness and sadness.  A less common form of depression is manic depression or 'bipolar disorder', characterised by extreme lows and highs.  Scientists don't know for certain why people develop bipolar disorder but they do know that it is related to imbalances in brain chemicals called neurotransmitters which are involved in communication. Genetics plays a role;  research shows that manic depression seems to run in families.

In this week's Mind Matters, Ella talks to Clive who's had manic depression for 30 years.  She also hears from psychiatrist Dr Veronica O'Keane of Kings College, London; psycho-pharmacologist Dr Andrew Harkin, UCD's Dr Billy O'Connor and American scientist Dr Paul Greengard who's studied the genetics of depression in mice, with some fascinating results. 

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Programme 3 - Autism
THURSDAY MARCH 2nd at 8pm
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Not only is it extremely difficult to define 'autism', but scientists have yet to discover the cause of this neurological condition which affects the senses.  But it's definitely much better understood than it used to be, with specialised research going on throughout the world.  This includes Trinity College, Dublin where a team are currently finding out more about the genetics of autism in Ireland.

In this week's Mind Matters, Trinity's autism expert Dr Louise Gallagher  explains what genes are involved in this condition.  Ella McSweeney also talks to American autism expert Dr Temple Grandin who explains how her own autism can be related to animal behaviour, as well as Dr Osnat Teitelbaum in Florida who has developed a simple test to check whether a baby is likely or not to have a form of autism.

Programme 4 - Strokes
THURSDAY MARCH 9th at 8pm
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Over 14,000 people in Ireland experience a stroke each year - that's over 38 people each day.  It's one of the greatest causes of permanent disability.  But what is a stroke?  What does it do to the brain?  And how does the brain react to such a massive trauma? 

In this week's Mind Matters, Ella here's from Pat  who suffered head trauma last June.  She also hears from Dr Aine Carroll of the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dr David Henshall of the Royal College of Surgeons and Prof Frank Barry who's working on stem cell research in strokes in Galway.