WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National Geographic Channel (NGC; @NatGeoChannel), in a partnership with Mental Floss (@mental_floss), will capture the drama of an awake deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery, a modern-day medical marvel, to celebrate our most complex machine, the human brain. Produced by Leftfield Pictures, Brain Surgery Live with Mental Floss (#BrainSurgeryLive) will blend live coverage from the operating room at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center (@UHhospitals) in Cleveland, Ohio — a first on U.S. television — with preproduced features that chronicle what science and medicine have historically taught us about the brain, and what is yet to be discovered.
The live two-hour special premieres in the U.S. Sunday, Oct. 25, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on NGC and Nat Geo Mundo, and globally in 171 countries and 45 languages (live in some regions, live to tape in others). For more information, visit our press room at foxflash.com and follow @NGC_PR on Twitter.
DBS surgery was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to treat essential tremor in 1997 and Parkinson’s disease in 2002. While it has become more readily available, this delicate procedure is performed only at select medical centers — like UH Case Medical Center — that have the trained physicians, nurses and technicians, and specialized equipment it requires.
“From our Emmy-nominated series Brain Games to Brain Surgery Live with Mental Floss, we continue to celebrate the brain, inspiring and feeding viewers’ wonder and curiosity about the most complex and mysterious organ in the human body,” said Tim Pastore, president, original programming & production, National Geographic Channel. “We’re offering a real-time look into the center of a living brain that we hope will illuminate and teach, as well as tell a story that is unforgettable.”
“Deep brain stimulation procedures are changing lives in hospitals all across the world. By partnering with National Geographic Channel, we have access to this modern-day medical marvel,” said Will Pearson, co-founder of Mental Floss. “From the history of the brain to the revolutionary progress ahead in neuroscience, we’re going to give a truly mind-bending look at the brain, providing viewers with a deeper understanding of their gray matter.”
“By partnering with National Geographic and Mental Floss, two incredible brands with a passion for exploring science, we hope to demystify brain surgery, diminishing the fear and stigma of this operation,” said Dr. Jonathan Miller, neurosurgeon and director of the Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. “We hope that this live broadcast of a deep brain stimulation surgery will educate viewers and offer a comprehensive look at this cutting-edge surgery.”
Executive Producer and Leftfield Entertainment President David George added, “It’s extremely gratifying to offer National Geographic viewers around the world the chance to share in a life-changing medical experience, as it is happening, to highlight the extraordinary talent and commitment of a renowned medical team and institution, and to illuminate the wonders and complexities of the human brain.”
Brain Surgery Live will take viewers into a cutting-edge operating room during a DBS surgery, an elective procedure in which an opening is made in the skull to access the brain. The brain is operated on while the patient is fully awake and able to speak with the neurosurgeons and neurologists. Because the patient is awake, the neurologists know where to target electrodes and then put the patient through a series of tests to determine whether or not they’ve pinpointed the affected area of the brain. The patient will be identified closer to the live taping after undergoing a wide range of screening and testing.
In the high-tech operating room at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland, production will furnish two manned, handheld cameras in the high-tech operating room, as well as several robotic cameras with inputs directly into the doctors’ surgical equipment. As a result, throughout the live broadcast, viewers will see EXACTLY what the neurosurgery team is seeing: up-close, live images of the brain as it is being operated on in real time.
In addition, Brain Surgery Live with Mental Floss will utilize the hospital’s cutting-edge Surgical Theater 3D surgical simulator. Developed in part at UH Case Medical Center, the simulator is the only patented and FDA-cleared platform for neurosurgical preoperative planning, currently available in only five hospitals in the United States. With the use of 3D imaging, the Surgical Theater is used to “game plan” or map out the surgery, improving the visualization prior to entering the operating room.
Creatively guided by Mental Floss, viewers will learn a great deal about the brain, including cutting-edge technologies used in surgery, how virtual reality is changing medicine, what science can glean from the study of famous brains, how male and female brains compare, how the brain influences creativity and how the brain interacts with the rest of the human body.
Host Bryant Gumbel will guide viewers through the live surgery and the journey of twists and turns of human gray matter. Joining him through the live coverage of the procedure is expert commentator and neurosurgeon Dr. Rahul Jandial, who provides insight into the hard science behind this operation; co-host neuroscientist and host of the podcast “Talk Nerdy” Cara Santa Maria (@CaraSantaMaria) also lends her expertise and provides social commentary.
About the Production Team
Brain Surgery Live with Mental Floss is produced by Leftfield Pictures for National Geographic Channels, with Brent Montgomery, David George, Shawn Witt, Gretchen Palek, Robert Wheelock and Scott Miller serving as executive producers. Joe Michaels is director. For Mental Floss, Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur serve as executive producers. For National Geographic Channels, Char Serwa and Mike J. Miller are executive producers and Tim Pastore is president, original programming & production.
Live broadcast producer Wheelock is a highly accomplished newsroom leader with an extensive background in breaking news and political coverage. Production credits include Al Jazeera America, ABC News Special Events, “Good Morning America” and the “TODAY Show.”
An eight-time Emmy award-winning director and two-time Director’s Guild of America honoree, Michaels is an industry innovator in studio and live event television directing. Production credits include the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Sochi, Russia; the World Series; the Super Bowl; Wimbledon Tennis; NBC “Game of the Week;” the Orange Bowl; the Hula Bowl and NBC “SportsWorld.” Michaels also has directed commercials, stage productions and special events.
About the Neurosurgical Team
Originally founded nearly 150 years ago, UH Case Medical Center is the primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and is nationally ranked by US News & World Report in nine adult specialties, including neurology and neurosurgery. UH Case Medical Center is a pioneering institution in the field of DBS and also helped develop the Surgical Theater 3D surgical simulator that will be seen in the National Geographic broadcast.
Dr. Jonathan Miller is director, Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery, UH Case Medical Center. He is also associate professor and vice chair for educational affairs, Department of Neurosurgery, Case Western Reserve University. Miller is board certified in neurologic surgery, and his special interests include neuromodulation, epilepsy surgery, DBS, movement disorders, neuropathic pain, cognitive/mood disorders, drug delivery, peripheral nerve surgery and traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Jennifer Sweet is assistant professor, neurosurgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and is a neurosurgeon who works with Dr. Miller at UH Case Medical Center in the functional and restorative neurosurgical area. Her other special interests include neuromodulation, DBS for movement disorders and psychiatric disorders, pain stimulation, drug delivery, traumatic brain injury and peripheral nerve disorders.
Dr. Benjamin Walter is director, Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders Center, and medical director of the Deep Brain Stimulation Program at UH Case Medical Center. He is an associate professor of neurology at Case Western Reserve University and is board certified in neurology. His special interests include DBS, dystonia, functional MRI, movement disorders, Parkinson’s disease and tremors.
About Host Bryant Gumbel
One of television's most accomplished broadcasters, Bryant Gumbel was with NBC for over 20 years where he hosted the TODAY program for 15 years, longer than anyone in that show's history. In April 1995, Gumbel began hosting “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel.” Already honored with 26 Emmys, two Columbia DuPont awards, and a Peabody, HBO Sports' distinguished magazine-style program explores the issues, controversies and personalities that are prevalent in the world of sports. He has compiled a remarkably diverse array of credits. He has interviewed superpower leaders and Super Bowl heroes and has covered foreign wars, elections, international summits and Presidential inaugurations. Besides his numerous Emmy awards, Gumbel has received the United Negro College Fund's highest honor, the Frederick D. Patterson Award, as well as the Martin Luther King Award from the Congress of Racial Equality and three NAACP Image Awards.
About Co-Host Dr. Rahul Jandial
Rahul Jandial, M.D., Ph.D., is dual trained as a brain surgeon and scientist working at City of Hope Cancer Center in Los Angeles for patients that have brain cancers. As a surgeon, he pioneers and performs new operations that are less invasive. As a scientist, the Jandial Laboratory focuses on preventing breast cancers from spreading to the brain. Dr. Jandial also serves the global community by leading surgical missions in Central and South America, and Eastern Europe for children with brain diseases.
About Co-Host Cara Santa Maria
Cara Santa Maria is an award-winning science communicator, journalist and podcaster. She has written for the Huffington Post and was its founding science correspondent and host of the “Talk Nerdy to Me” web series. She currently hosts the podcast “Talk Nerdy,” and is a co-host of “TechKnow” on Al Jazeera America and “The Skeptics’’ Guide to the Universe” podcast. Cara is also a contributing correspondent on "SoCal Connected" in Los Angeles, recently garnering an Emmy award for Best Reporter in a Feature Segment for her story "Natural History Museum’s Citizen Science Insect Labeling Project". Previously, she hosted and produced a daily show, "TakePart Live" on Pivot TV. Prior to her media career, Cara taught biology and psychology courses to high school students and college undergraduates in Texas and New York. She has a passion for science education. She has also performed clinical and laboratory research on various topics, ranging from the neuropsychology of blindness to computational neurophysiology to adult neurogenesis in songbirds.
About National Geographic Channels
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation’s major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in nearly 90 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit natgeotv.com, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/NatGeoTVUS or follow @NatGeoChannel on Twitter and Instagram.
About Mental Floss
Mental Floss is an award-winning media brand at the intersection of knowledge and entertainment. Our world-class creative talent delivers sophisticated and sharable content on everything from science and history to pop culture and the arts. Mental Floss reaches more than 17 million engaged millennials each month through mentalfloss.com, the mental_floss YouTube channel, its magazine, social media, live events, e-commerce and book publishing. The brand has won three consecutive Webby Awards and has been recognized as No. 1 on Mashable’s list of “Twitter Feeds That Will Make You Smarter.” For more information, visit www.mentalfloss.com.
About Leftfield Pictures
Leftfield Pictures, best known for producing breakout hit “Pawn Stars” for History and spawning the “hidden treasures” genre of programming, produces an array of projects across the broadcast, cable and digital landscape, including: “Counting Cars” (History), “Blood, Sweat and Heels” (Bravo), “Alone” (History), “Cutting It: In the ATL” (WE tv) and “Football Town: Barrow Alaska” (NFL Network). Upcoming series include “Lost and Found” (Discovery Family) and the NatGeo special Billy the Kid: New Evidence with Kevin Costner. Leftfield has additional series in production and development with networks including Bravo, History, Lifetime, Discovery, VH1, FYI, E!, Animal Planet, HGTV and more. Leftfield Pictures is part of Leftfield Entertainment, an ITV Studios company. Other Leftfield Entertainment companies include Sirens Media (“Real Housewives of New Jersey”), Loud TV (“Tiny House Nation”), Outpost Entertainment (“Forged in Fire”) and Riot Creative.
