Movie: Monster In The Mind
Read the questions below BEFORE watching the film so that you can prepare thoughtful answers to the following prompts. To make this a bit easier, I have occasionally included approximate timestamps related to some of the questions:
Write your answers in a Word document to attach.
1. How old is the narrator of this film, Jean Carper, and briefly, what was her goal in making this film and why did she title it “Monster in the Mind?”
2. When did Alzheimer’s awareness start to explode in the public and how did it create so much fear and stigma? (@ 13:00 min into the film)
3. What do researchers say about the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s (16:35) and why do you think that top researchers themselves, don’t get genetically tested for the disease?
4. What do the researchers say about Alzheimer’s and genetics? (21:00)
5. What is the status of a “cure” for Alzheimer’s according to the film? (29:00)
6. What is neurogenesis? (39:10) and what can you do to create more brain cells as you age?
7. Describe the London cabbie study (40:10) and explain how it relates to cognitive health and lowering the risk for dementia.
8. What are the primary lifestyle changes a person can make to lower their risk for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia? (40-48 minutes in)
9. Why have there been so many doomsday scenarios about Alzheimer’s in popular culture? (49:30) Are these scenarios credible?
10. At 50:30 the narrator discusses the idea that Alzheimer’s can strike anyone regardless of gender, race, and social class. Is this true? If not, who has a higher risk? Explain the impact of social characteristics on the likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s/dementia.
11. At the beginning of the film, the narrator, Jean Carper, tells us that she has had the apo e4 test indicating she has a genetic marker for Alzheimer’s. She does a follow-up PET SCAN to detect Amyloid plaque in her brain (thought to be a major result of Alzheimer’s). At the end of the film, she goes in for the test results. What results did she get? Explain the connection between genetics and lifestyle in her case.
12. Overall, what did you learn from the film? Did anything surprise you? Have you had any personal experience in your family with dementia? What positive messages does the film give us?
