As recently as the mid 1990s, doctors thought there was little or nothing that could be done if a patient had a stroke. For thousands of years before that, people were terrified of stroke--it came from nowhere with no obvious cause and no practical treatment. Up until the late 20th century doctors would still tell patients they were "lucky to be alive" but to avoid any activity that might cause another stroke. If not a death sentence, stroke was often a life sentence.

But breakthroughs in biology, imaging, neurology, and medicine have now made stroke treatable-although it is still the most common disabler and second most deadly disorder. Still, patients who get to the right hospital in the shortest amount of time can hope to leave the hospital in a day or two with few residual symptoms. The story of how in the last 30 or 40 years we have come this far is fascinating, poignant and heroic.

Stroke: Time is Brain introduces us to many of the pioneers of stroke treatment and takes us into the emergency rooms, hospitals, ambulances and even robots that are making death and disability caused by stroke a thing of the past.

The film, which will last about 1 hour, will be preceded by a brief introduction and followed by Q&A.