West Virginia University’s renowned neurosciences program, including physicians, staff and patients, will be featured in the final three episodes of the four-part ABC News series “Secrets of Your Mind: Why We Do What We Do.” The next episode airs at 10 p.m. Thursday on ABC.

Beginning in March, crews from ABC News videotaped in clinics, operating rooms and patient rooms, and visited homes of patients and physicians to tell the stories of how medicine, science and technology are working to solve the mysteries of the brain. Anchored by Nightline’s Martin Bashir and Terry Moran, the stories revolve around WVU’s efforts to treat epilepsy, obesity, head trauma, brain tumors, stroke and more.

In episode two, which airs Aug. 26, Bashir talks to Julian Bailes, M.D., chair of the WVU Department of Neurosurgery, about the case of Chris Benoit, the former professional wrestler, who killed his family before killing himself. Dr. Bailes also talks about his work with athletes who have suffered multiple concussions.

Episode three, airing Sept. 2, finds Moran and Bailes in the operating room during what ABC calls “a first-hand look at life-and-death drama.” While there, Bailes and his team race to fix an aneurysm that bursts while a patient is on the table.

The final episode of the series, which airs Sept. 9, looks at the American obesity epidemic. Bashir checks in with a WVU patient who underwent brain surgery in an attempt to lose weight. Donald Whiting, M.D., the WVU neurosurgeon who performed the groundbreaking operation.

For more information on “Secrets of Your Mind: Why We Do What We Do” see http://abcnews.go.com/nightline/prime.

For more information on WVU Healthcare, see www.wvuhealth.com.

-WVU-

CONTACT: Angela Jones, HSC News Service
304-293-7087; jonesan@wvuh.com