Wiring the Brain

Scientists are launching one of the most audacious projects ever conceived: a detailed map of the human brain, neuron by neron, synapse by synapse. For some scientists, the goal isn’t just to map the brain; it’s to crack the mystery of consciousness. Explore the “connectome” and the differences between the left and right sides of the brain.

Segment 1

Sebastian Seung, Neuron by Neuron

Neuroscientist Sebastian Seung takes us inside the “connectome”: the audacious project to create a detailed map of the human brain.

Segment 2

Michael Gazzaniga on Free Will

If your mind is nothing more than brain chemistry, do you have free will? Neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga says new brain science should change our thinking about this old philosophical question.

Segment 3

Daniel Levitin on Music and the Brain

Daniel Levitin is a neuroscientist with a twist; he’s also a musician and record producer. He says brain imaging is showing how our brains listen to and make music.

Segment 4

Iain McGilchrist on “The Master and His Emissary”

Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist says the left and right sides of the brain are profoundly different. He thinks the left hemisphere has come to dominant Western culture.

Segment 5

Jill Bolte Taylor on Insight

Neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor nearly died from a massive stroke at the age of 37. The experience taught her life lessons on how the mind perceives the world.

Segment 6

Karen Slavick-Lennard on Sleep Talkin’ Man

Karen Slavick-Lennard’s husband talks in his sleep—and says the craziest things. We talk with Karen and hear audio excerpts of “sleep talkin’ man.”

Segment 7

Giulio Tononi on Theory of Consciousness

Sleep may be an utterly common activity, but neuroscientist Giulio Tononi believes it’s the greatest experiment in consciousness.