AllMovie

Brain Transplant is a continuation of the 1986 Nova presentation The Case of the Frozen Addict. In the earlier film, drug users were stricken with a strange illness and became paralyzed or "frozen." No one could explain the Parkinson's-like symptoms of the malady, until doctors traced it to a contaminated batch of synthetic heroin. In this update, Nova follows two afflicted addicts to Sweden where they receive treatment unavailable in the U.S. Other treatments are discussed, including L-dopa and adrenal cell transplants. The ethics of fetal tissue research are also debated.