New York City (June 17, 1998) - Black Hammer Productions, Inc. has created the Alzheimer's Abyss video wall, for Bayer Corporation, to explain the "cholinergic hypothesis" that attributes cognitive loss in Alzheimer's disease to the deterioration of cholinergic pathways in the brain. As part of a pre-launch marketing effort for a new drug, Bayer Corporation is displaying the video wall during selected medical trade shows to educate physicians about the theoretical foundation for its drug research, which seeks a treatment for the cognitive loss associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The Alzheimer's Abyss incorporates PET scans, MRIs, 3D models and CGI animation to illustrate how cholinergic degeneration leads to loss of memory, disorientation and swings in emotion as Alzheimer's disease progresses. An animated 3D human model was created to portray the elderly patient who falls into "the abyss" in the opening sequence and who appears at the end of the video. A 3D brain model demonstrates the importance of cholinergic pathways in the formation of memories and the expression of emotions; brain activity along the pathways is simulated by the model. Icons such as sepia-tone family photographs are shown morphing to represent memories and emotions becoming unstable as cholinergic pathways deteriorate. The Alzheimer's Abyss contributes to greater awareness of the symptoms of dementia, which are often ignored by physicians as merely the consequences of old age.

Black Hammer Productions, Inc. was founded by Matthew Schlanger and Andrew Hunt, who were featured among New York Magazine's "Cyber 60" as leading interactive developers. Black Hammer creates and refines corporate identities through multimedia products, including Web sites, commercial and corporate CD-ROMs, Shockwave games and interactive kiosks. In addition to producing the Alzheimer's Abyss for Bayer Corporation, the Company recently completed the Ultra Challenge interactive kiosk for another major pharmaceutical company. Additional information about Black Hammer can be found at its website (www.blackhammer.com).