Dr Alice Roberts delves deep into the body's most complex organ - The Brain - and discovers how the brain can be tricked into seeing illusions which don't exist, and how it can be trained to improve its memory function.
Rugby fanatic and primary school teacher Sean Gilbertson has trouble remembering the names of the 27 pupils in his class; he thinks it is down to the 40 separate concussions he has received playing his beloved sport. He has now been told to quit rugby - or risk damaging his brain permanently.
Alice invites Sean to her lab to find out more about the intricate workings of the brain, but will his newly gained knowledge persuade him to find a gentler sport? They hope to learn more about the brain's remarkable powers of memory courtesy of Dominic O'Brien, eight times world memory champion, who can recite the correct order of 54 packs of playing cards after seeing them just once.
Both Dominic and Sean have a brain scan which reveals how differently the brain works. Alice also discovers how sleep deprivation affects the brain, by sending the body hunger messages which lead her to eat more. She also sets out to discover whether getting a good night's sleep can help people lose weight.
Note: This BBC production not available in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, USA, Canada.
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