THE FIRST HEAD TRANSPLANT

Documentary following work done by scientists at the cutting edge of brain research during 1950 to 1970. It establishes the unique challenges presented by working with as complex, mysterious and delicate an organ as the brain, and the ethical dilemmas that such work throws up. By tracing the careers of both American and Russian researchers, it shows how Cold War politics influenced researchers into the brain - and asks how work from that period could again be relevant and influential today.