Noncommercial Videotapes

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

I receive permission from clients to use their clinical videotapes for teaching, and I regularly show those tapes to illustrate specific neurogenic conditions (such as ataxia, spasticity, flaccidity, aphasia, dementia, etc.). Although these are obviously not available for use within these materials, because of permission restrictions, I can provide you with a few videos that you may find helpful, or at least entertaining. As you might have guessed, I am cat- and dog-friendly. I have created a CD that includes a series of video clips that illustrate neurological conditions from two of my cats, now deceased (ataxia; hypotonia; LMN signs from TBI). I will include brief biographical sketches in the “Videos” subdirectory of these materials, but here is a brief preview of the videos. If you wish for copies of these videos in MPEG format, I would be happy to send them to you. Simply e-mail me at [e-mail] and ask for the Tiny Tim CD.

Cat-hood ataxia: Tiny Tim was a rescue cat who, at eight weeks old, was discovered malnourished and struggling in a snowdrift. He was diagnosed as having developmental ataxia, probably arising from maternal distemper. He was a delightful cat who lived for 14 years. The materials include two videos of Tiny Tim, illustrating ataxic gait, past-pointing in target pursuit with his paw, and general cuteness. The first video is of Tiny Tim at around three months of age; the second video, from 10 years later, reveals no real change in the ataxic problems. It’s worth noting that he also had some paradoxical spasticity and positional hypertonus, as well as the flaccidity that often co-occurs with cerebellar damage.

Multiple neurological deficits: Mary Noodle was a brief star in our lives who was rescued at nine months of age, having been thrown out of a truck by her previous owner. She suffered traumatic brain injury from the ejection, which was manifested as ataxia and flaccid signs in facial musculature (including fasciculations). Mary also unfortunately suffered from a liver duct disease for which she underwent surgical correction; sadly, she died three days postsurgery. She was a lively, spunky bundle of joy, and I hope you enjoy seeing her in these video clips. Both Tiny Tim and Mary Noodle were far more than clinical samples, obviously, but they provide a “human” side to the clinical picture. Again, Mary’s biographical sketch is included in the “Videos” subdirectory.