>>> WALK RIGHT IN THERE. >> MOST AMERICAN FAMILIES KNOW SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN AFFLICTED WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE OR THE
SCOURGE OF ADDICTION. TONIGHT, WE WILL SHOW YOU RESEARCH THAT IS BEING DONE ON BOTH AND INTRODUCE YOU TO THE
PIONEERING NEUROSCIENTIST WHO ALLOWED US TO FOLLOW HIS STARTLING PROGRESS. >> OKAY.
READY? WE CAN START. OKAY, NOW. THERE WE GO.
>> THERE'S ALWAYS RISK, BUT YOU CANNOT ADVANCE AND MAKE DISCOVERIES WITHOUT RISK. BUT WE NEED TO PUSH FORWARD AND
TAKE THE RISK BECAUSE PEOPLE WITH ADDICTION AND ALZHEIMER'S, IT'S NOT GOING AWAY. IT'S HERE.
SO, WHY WAIT 10, 20 YEARS? DO IT NOW. >>> ENTER SOME COUNTRIES, YOU ARRIVE IN STYLE.
HERE, YOU ARRIVE IN WHAT'S BASICALLY A BACKYARD SWING HOISTED BY A CRANK 60 FEET ABOVE THE NORTH SEA.
AND IF YOU'RE WONDERING ABOUT THE SAFETY REGULATIONS, YEAH, US TOO. THEN AGAIN, WHEN YOU ARE A
SOVEREIGN NATION, YOU, BY DEFINITION, SET YOUR OWN RULES. >> THAT'S A HELL OF A WAY TO GET INTO A COUNTRY.
>> THE ONLY WAY TO TRAVEL. >> WELCOME TO SEALAND, A MONARCHY THAT DECLARED ITS INDEPENDENCE IN 1967.
JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR THIS STORY. >> I'M LESLEY STAHL. >> I'M BILL WHITAKER.
>> I'M ANDERSON COOPER. >> I'M SHARYN ALFONSI. >> I'M JON WERTHEIM. >> I'M CECILIA VEGA.
>> I'M SCOTT PELLEY. THOSE STORIES TONIGHT ON "60 MINUTES." >>> ANYONE WHO HAS HAD
EXPERIENCE WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE KNOWS THE AGONY OF WATCHING SOMEONE FADE AWAY, AS IT STEALS MEMORY AND, AT THE
END, A PERSON'S OWN IDENTITY. TONIGHT WE'LL SHOW YOU AN EXPERIMENTAL WAY TO TRY AND BEAT BACK ALZHEIMER'S.
IT'S BEEN TESTED ON JUST A HANDFUL OF PATIENTS BUT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION BECAUSE OF THE DOCTOR INVOLVED, DR. ALI REZAI,
WHO "60 MINUTES" FIRST MET 20 YEARS AGO. DR. REZAI IS A NEUROSCIENCE PIONEER WHO HAS DEVELOPED
TREATMENTS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND OTHER BRAIN DISORDERS. FOR OVER A YEAR, WE FOLLOWED
THIS MASTER OF THE MIND, AS HE ATTEMPTED TO DELAY THE PROGRESSION OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND ITS WORST SYMPTOMS
USING ULTRASOUND. AS WE FIRST REPORTED IN JANUARY, WE SAW CUTTING EDGE APPROACH TO BRAIN SURGERY, WITH NO CUTTING.
>> IF WE CAN, WE SHOULD NOT BE DOING BRAIN SURGERY. >> YOU'RE A BRAIN SURGEON. >> I AM, BUT I SHOULD BE OUT OF
A JOB BECAUSE BRAIN SURGERY, IT'S CUTTING TO SKIN, OPENING THE SKULL. IT CAN BE BARBARIC.
>> Reporter: IT LOOKED LIKE A SCENE FROM A SCI-FI MOVIE. >> JUST MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE COMFORTABLE.
>> Reporter: A HALO-WRAPPED PATIENT PUSHED INTO A TUBE, AS A TEAM OF DOCTORS MANIPULATE HIS BRAIN FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
GLASS. >> MODULATE POWER IN THREE MINUTES. OKAY.
WE'RE READY TO GO. >> Reporter: DR. ALI REZAI ALLOWED US TO WITNESS HIS REVOLUTIONARY ATTEMPT TO USE
ULTRASOUND TO SLOW DOWN THE COGNITIVE DECLINE IN THREE PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.
IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. >> THERE'S NO MIRACLE CURE HERE. IT'S ADVANCING MEDICINE WITH CALCULATED RISKS AND PUSHING THE
FRONTIERS. >> SO, WE'RE TARGETING THESE AREAS. >> Reporter: DR. REZAI AND HIS
TEAM ARE FOCUSED ON THESE RED PATCHES IN THE BRAIN SCANS. THE RED IS THE DENSEST AMYLOID PROTEIN.
THE GUMMY PROTEIN IS BELIEVED TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN ALZHEIMER'S BY DISRUPTING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BRAIN CELLS.
>> IN PEOPLE WITH ALZHEIMER'S, IT ACCUMULATES MUCH FASTER. AND OVER TIME, THESE PROTEIN AGGREGATES -- WE CALL THEM
PLAQUES, LIKE PLAQUES IN THE ARTERIES, THEY KEEP ON ACCUMULATING AND IMPACTING FUNCTION.
>> Reporter: THERE ARE NEW DRUGS THAT CAN HELP BREAK UP THE BETA-AMYLOID PLAQUE IN THE BRAIN.
THE FIRST TO BE APPROVED BY THE FDA WAS IN 2021. THE DRUG IS GIVEN INTRAVENOUSLY, BUT IT WORKS SLOWLY.
>> TYPICALLY YOU GO INTO THE CLINIC AND YOU GET AN IV AND YOU HAVE AN ANTIBODY INFUSION OVER ONE TO TWO HOURS.
AND YOU HAVE TO DO IT ONCE A MONTH OR TWICE A MONTH FOR 18 MONTHS AND LONGER. AND DURING THOSE 12 TO 18
MONTHS, THE BRAIN IS CONTINUING TO PROGRESS. ALZHEIMER'S IS NOT GOING AWAY. >> Reporter: IT TAKES SO LONG
BECAUSE THE DRUGS HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING THROUGH SOMETHING CALLED THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER. THIS TIGHT FILTER OF CELLS LINE
THE BLOOD VESSELS TO KEEP TOXINS FROM LEAKING INTO THE BRAIN. BUT IT ALSO PREVENTS ALMOST ALL OF THE MEDICATION FROM GETTING
IN TOO. >> WE THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT'S CAUSING THE DISRUPTION. >> Reporter: DR. REZAI THOUGHT
HE COULD SOLVE THAT PROBLEM WITH ULTRASOUND, THE SAME TECHNOLOGY THAT'S BEEN USED FOR 70 YEARS TO GIVE DOCTORS A VIEW OF ORGANS
AND FETAL DEVELOPMENT. HE CHOSE ULTRASOUND BECAUSE IT EASILY PENETRATES THE SKULL AND CAN BE FOCUSED, LIKE SUNLIGHT
THROUGH A MAGNIFYING GLASS, TO HELP OPEN THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER AND ALLOW THE DRUGS TO RUSH IN.
>> THIS WAY WE'RE GETTING THE PAYLOAD, THE THERAPEUTIC PAYLOAD, EXACTLY TO THE AREA IT NEEDS TO GO WITH A HIGH
PENETRATION. BUT WE'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE SAFE WITH THIS.
YOU DON'T WANT TO DELIVER TOO MUCH. DON'T WANT TO OPEN THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER TOO MUCH.
>> IF YOU OPEN IT TOO MUCH, WHAT COULD HAPPEN? >> YOU CAN GET BLEEDING IN THE BRAIN.
YOU CAN GET SWELLING IN THE BRAIN. YOU CAN GET MANY OTHER PROBLEMS, SO YOU HAVE TO GET IT JUST
RIGHT. >> Reporter: WE WILL SHOW YOU EXACTLY HOW THAT WORKED AND THE EARLY RESULTS IN A MINUTE.
BUT TO UNDERSTAND WHY ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S MOST ACCOMPLISHED BRAIN SURGEONS IS BETTING ON ULTRASOUND --
>> OKAY, OPEN AND CLOSE YOUR HANDS FOR ME. >> Reporter: -- YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO 2002, WHEN DR. REZAI
FIRST CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION IN A STORY REPORTED ON TREATING PARKINSON'S DISEASE. >> SHOW ME YOUR TEETH.
STICK YOUR TONGUE OUT. VERY GOOD. >> Reporter: DR. REZAI WAS AMONG THE FIRST TO IMPLANT A
PACEMAKER-TYPE DEVICE IN THE BRAIN, WHICH STOPPED UNCONTROLLABLE MOOUMTS SUFFERED BY PARKINSON'S PATIENTS.
>> IT'S LIKE TRAVELING THROUGH A LABYRINTH, AS IN THE GREEK MYTH. AROUND EVERY CORNER, YOU HAVE A BLOOD THIRSTY MONSTER THAT CAN
JUMP ON YOU. SO WE WANT TO BE CAREFUL TO AVOID THESE AREAS. >> Reporter: THE IMPLANT SURGERY
IS ROUTINE FOR ADVANCED PARKINSON'S. DR. REZAI WENT ON TO WRITE HUNDREDS OF SCIENTIFIC PAPERS,
SECURE DOZENS OF PATENTS, AND PRESENT HIS PARKINSON'S RESEARCH TO CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE. HE COULD HAVE GONE TO ANY BIG
CITY RESEARCH CENTER. BUT TRUE TO FORM, HE CHOSE TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND MOVED TO MORGANTOWN, WEST
VIRGINIA, WHERE HE IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ROCKEFELLER NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE.
>> IT WAS A FANTASTIC MOVE BECAUSE WE'RE ABLE TO ACHIEVE SO MANY THINGS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS.
SOMETIMES IN THE BIGGER INSTITUTIONS, YOU MAY NOT BE HUNGRY AS MUCH FOR -- YOU MAY HAVE 1,000 DIFFERENT AGENDAS AND
PRIORITIES. HERE, WE THINK WE HAVE A VERY NIMBLE AND AGILE TEAM THAT CAN QUICKLY GET OUTCOMES.
>> Reporter: LIKE IN 2019, THIS IS VIDEO DR. REZAI'S TEAM TOOK WHEN THEY WERE AMONG THE FIRST TO USE ULTRASOUND TO TREAT
TREMORS. FOR 15 YEARS, DAN WALL HAD BEEN SUFFERING FROM ESSENTIAL TREMOR, A NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER.
>> YOU OKAY? YOU GOT A HAT ON NOW. >> OKAY. >> ALL RIGHT.
VERY GOOD. >> Reporter: REZAI'S TEAM FOCUSED ULTRASOUND INTO A PART OF THE BRAIN CALLED THE THALAMUS
TO DESTROY A PINPOINT PATCH SIZE OF TISSUE DOCTORS BELIEVE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TREMORS. >> 980 ELEMENTS CONVERGING RIGHT
THERE. >> Reporter: WALL WAS AWAKE DURING THE PROCEDURE. AFTER TWO HOURS, THE
71-YEAR-OLD'S TREMOR WAS GONE. >> I FEEL AFRAID I'M GOING TO DROP IT. >> YOU GOT IT.
>> I GOT IT. >> YOU WANT TO SHOW OFF? >> WOW. >> PRAISE THE LORD.
>> Reporter: THAT SUCCESS HELPED CONVINCE DR. REZAI -- >> GOOD MORNING. >> Reporter: -- THAT FOCUSED
ULTRASOUND COULD BE ADAPTED TO PATIENTS WITH OTHER BRAIN DISORDERS, INCLUDING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.
>> THE FIRST SYMPTOMS THAT I NOTICED WERE THAT I WAS HAVING TROUBLE TYPING AT WORK. >> DID YOU THINK YOU HAD
ALZHEIMER'S? >> NO, I DIDN'T. >> Reporter: DAN MILLER IS JUST 61 YEARS OLD.
HIS WIFE, KATHY, BEGAN NOTICING CHANGES FOUR YEARS AGO. >> HE KIND OF HID IT PRETTY WELL.
AND THEN I NOTICED HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE -- HIS CLOTHES WOULD BE BACKWARDS AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
>> JUST LITTLE THINGS. >> JUST LITTLE THINGS, YES. >> Reporter: A SCAN OF HIS BRAIN REVEALED WHAT DAN HAD BEEN
HIDING. >> MR. MILLER HAD A VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF BETA-AMYLOID -- >> Reporter: THE RED SPOTS
INDICATED A BUILD UP OF THOSE BETA-AMYLOID PROTEINS, THE SO-CALLED BRAIN PLAQUE, A MARKER OF ALZHEIMER'S.
DR. REZAI EXPLAINED TO MILLER HE COULDN'T CURE HIM OF THE DISEASE, BUT HE HOPED TO SLOW ITS PROGRESSION.
>> WHY TAKE PART IN A TRIAL IF IT'S NOT A CURE? >> I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO YOU THAT I WAS AT THE POINT LIKE IN
"DANTE'S INFERNO" WHERE IT SAYS, ABANDON ALL HOPE, ENTER HERE. FOR ME, IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, LET'S DO THIS.
YOU KNOW? WHAT DO I HAVE TO LOSE? >> AND YOU ARE INFUSED, SIR. >> Reporter: HERE'S HOW IT
WORKED. HOURS BEFORE THE PROCEDURE, MILLER WAS GIVEN AN IV TREATMENT OF ADUCANUMAB, ONE OF THOSE NEW
DRUGS TO REDUCE BETA-AMYLOID PLAQUE. MILLER WAS THEN FITTED WITH THIS MILLION-DOLLAR HELMET, SIMILAR
TO THE ONE THE TEAM USED TO TREAT TREMOR PATIENTS. IT DIRECTS NEARLY 1,000 BEAMS OF ULTRASOUND ENERGY AT A TARGET
THE SIZE OF A PENCIL POINT. >> BASICALLY A PATIENT LIES ON THE MRI TABLE, AND THE HEAD GOES INSIDE THE HELMET.
AND THE PATIENT IS IMMOBILIZED WITH A HALO OR WITH A MOUTH PIECE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT MOVEMENTS TO CAUSE ERRORS IN OUR
TARGETING IN THE BRAIN. >> IS THAT COMFORTABLE? THUMBS UP. >> Reporter: ONCE INSIDE, THE
MRI MACHINE GAVE DR. REZAI A 3-D VIEW OF THE PLAQUE HE WOULD TARGET IN DAN MILLER'S BRAIN. THE NEXT STEP WAS AN IV SOLUTION
THAT CONTAINED MICROSCOPIC BUBBLES. HIT BE ULTRASOUND ENERGY, THE BUBBLES PRY OPEN THAT BLOOD
BRAIN BARRIER. >> OKAY, READY? WE CAN START. OKAY, NOW.
THERE WE GO. >> THE BUBBLES START VIBRATING. >> THEY'RE MOVING? >> THEY'RE MOVING.
THEY START EXPANDING SO YOU CAN OPEN THE BARRIER TEMPORARILY. NOW IT'S OPEN FOR 24 TO 48 HOURS.
AND THEN IT RESEALS. SO, THIS GIVES YOU A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR 24 TO 48 HOURS, WITH THE BARRIER BEING OPEN.
SO, NOW THERAPISTS CAN GET INSIDE THE BRAIN. >> Reporter: YOU CAN'T HEAR ULTRASOUND.
THAT NOISE IS A SIGNAL TO TELL REZAI'S TEAM THE ULTRASOUND IS DOING ITS WORK. >> VERY NICE OPENING OF THE
BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER. EACH DOT REPRESENTS AN AREA WHERE ALL THE WAVES, ALL THE ULTRASOUND WAVES, CONVERGE AND
OPEN THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER. >> SO, THIS IS JUST ONE BLAST, IF YOU WILL. >> ONE BLAST GETTING THERE.
>> AND YOU'RE HITTING ONE POINT. >> ONE POINT, AND THEN IT MOVES TO THE NEXT ONE. >> Reporter: EVEN THOUGH
PATIENTS WERE AWAKE, THEY TOLD US THEY DIDN'T FEEL A THING. IT ALL TOOK A COUPLE OF HOURS, AND THEY WENT HOME WHEN IT WAS
OVER. THE THREE PATIENTS WERE GIVEN THE TREATMENTS OF ULTRASOUND WITH INFUSION ONCE A MONTH OVER
SIX MONTHS. >> THAT'S ANOTHER TARGET RIGHT THERE. >> Reporter: THE RESULT,
BETA-AMYLOID PLAQUE TARGETED WITH ULTRASOUND WERE REDUCED 50% MORE THAN AREAS TREATED BY INFUSION ALONE.
>> THAT'S THE TOP OF THE HEAD RIGHT THERE. >> Reporter: DR. REZAI SHARED THE THREE PATIENTS' BRAIN SCANS
WITH US. >> AND THE RED INDICATES MORE DENSITY OF BETA-AMYLOID PLAQUES IN THE BRAIN.
SO, YOU CAN SEE, AS YOU TREAT WITH ULTRASOUND -- >> Reporter: LOOK CLOSELY AT THE AREAS OUTLINED IN WHITE THAT
WERE TARGETED WITH ULTRASOUND AND THE DRUG. >> YOU GET REDUCTION. >> WOAH.
THAT'S AFTER? >> THAT'S AFTER. YOU CAN SEE THE PLAQUES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BY OPENING
THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER JUST IN ONE AREA. >> Reporter: DAN MILLER AND THE THIRD PATIENT IN THE TRIAL HAD
LARGER AREAS OF THEIR BRAIN TARGETED WITH ULTRASOUND. >> AND THIS IS HIS BASELINE. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE HERE, AFTER
26 WEEKS, THERE'S A VERY DRAMATIC REDUCTION IN THE BETA-AMYLOID IN THE AREAS AS OUTLINED BY THIS WHITE MARK.
>> AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT PATIENT NUMBER THREE. >> AND THIS PATIENT UNDERWENT ANTIBODY INFUSION THERAPY PLUS
ULTRASOUND. YOU CAN SEE THIS AREA, WHICH IS REALLY AMAZING. THE ULTRASOUND OPENED THE BLOOD
BRAIN BARRIER, AND THE ANTIBODY WENT IN FASTER AND CLEANED OUT THE PLAQUES. >> WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN
YOU SAW THIS SCAN? >> I MEAN, MY JAW DROPPED. I WAS ACTUALLY EVEN IN THE CLINIC SEEING THE PATIENTS.
AND THE PET SCAN TECHNICIAN CALLED AND SAID, OH, YEAH, THERE'S A BIG CHANGE. I SAID, HOW DO YOU KNOW?
WE HAVE TO ANALYZE IT. HE SAID, NO, YOU CAN SEE IT ON THE SCREEN. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN DR.
REZAI SHARED THE SCANS WITH YOU? >> IT WAS SURREAL. >> YOU CAN REALLY SEE IT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A DOCTOR TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. >> ABSOLUTELY NOT. >> THE RED IS DECREASING.
>> THAT'S AMAZING. >> Reporter: KATHY MILLER SAYS SHE CAN SEE IT IN HER HUSBAND, TOO, WHO SLIPS UP ONCE IN A
WHILE, BUT HASN'T SLIPPED FURTHER AWAY. >> HE HAS TROUBLE FINDING THINGS.
I'LL SEND HIM INTO THE KITCHEN TO GET SOMETHING, AND HE'S LIKE, IT'S NOT THERE. I'M LIKE, YES, IT IS.
I CAN SEE IT. BUT HE CAN'T SEE IT. BUT IF THAT'S THE WORST, THAT'S NOTHING.
>> YOU'LL TAKE IT? >> I'LL TAKE IT. >> DO YOU FEEL HOPEFUL ABOUT THE FUTURE?
>> I DO, YES. I LEARNED THAT WHAT I NEEDED TO DO IS ACCEPT THAT THE OLD DAN IS GONE AND START WORKING ON THE
NEW ME, WHICH HAS A FUTURE. >> Reporter: DR. REZAI'S TEAM TOLD US THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE ABILITY OF THE THREE
PATIENTS TO DO THEIR DAILY ACTIVITIES AFTER THE ULTRASOUND TREATMENTS ENDED IN 2023. NOW DR. REZAI HAS SHOWED FOCUSED
ULTRASOUND CAN CLEAR BETA-AMYLOID PLAQUE FASTER -- >> WHAT'S THE RESULT OF BREAKING UP ALL THIS PLAQUE TO THE DAMAGE
THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE TO THE BRAIN? >> WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GOING TO REVERSE THE DAMAGE TO THE
BRAIN BECAUSE ALZHEIMER'S, THE UNDERLYING CAUSE IS STILL OCCURRING. WE HAVE ANOTHER STUDY WE'RE
LOOKING AT WITH ULTRASOUND. FIRST, CLEAR THE PLAQUES. THEN DELIVER ULTRASOUND IN A DIFFERENT DOSE TO SEE NOW IF WE
CAN REVERSE IT OR BOOST THE BRAIN MORE FOR PEOPLE WITH ALZHEIMER'S. >> SINCE WE FIRST REPORTED THIS
STORY IN JANUARY, DR. ALI REZAI SAYS TWO OF THE THREE PATIENTS WHO HAD THE LIMITED TREATMENTS FOR ALZHEIMER'S HAVE EXPERIENCED
SOME DECLINE. WHEN WE COME BACK, WE WILL SHOW YOU DR. REZAI'S ATTEMPT TO USE ULTRA SOUND TO RESET THE BRAIN
AND HELP PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM DRUG ADDICTION.
>>> THE HUMAN BRAIN CONTAINS 100 BILLION NEURONS. THAT'S AS MANY CELLS AS THERE ARE STARS ADROS MILKY WAY.
DR. ALI REZAI HAS SPENT 25 YEARS EXPLORING THIS FRONTIER OF MEDICINE. THE SURGICAL TECHNIQUES AND
THERAPIES HE PIONEERED ARE IN USE AROUND THE WORLD. DR. REZAI ALLOWED US TO SEE HIS LATEST RESEARCH OVER THE LAST
YEAR AT THE ROCKEFELLER NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE IN MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA. IT INCLUDES REVOLUTIONARY
TREATMENTS FOR A BRAIN DISEASE SUFFERED BY 24 MILLION AMERICANS, ADDICTION. AS WE FIRST REPORTED IN JANUARY,
THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN LIFE CHANGING FOR THE PEOPLE WHO MET ONCE TRAPPED BY DRUGS. >> LOOKING BACK, I DIDN'T HAVE A
CHANCE. >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE? >> I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING
WITHOUT HAVING THAT DRUG IN MY SYSTEM. >> Reporter: JARED BUCKHALTER IS THE SON OF A COAL MINER.
AT 6'3", HE WAS A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL STANDOUT, DREAMED OF PLAYING WIDE RECEIVER AT PENN STATE.
BUT AFTER A SHOULDER INJURY, HE GOT HOOKED ON PAINKILLERS. >> THE VERY FIRST TIME THAT I TOOK THAT FIRST PILL, I KNEW
THAT I WANTED THAT FEELING FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. >> WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE? >> IT'S JUST PURE EUPHORIA.
>> Reporter: HE TOOK US TO WHERE HE SAID HE OFTEN WENT TO BUY DRUGS, INCLUDING HEROIN. >> EVERYONE KNOWS TO COME HERE.
PROBABLY 17, 18 YEARS OLD, JUST A KID. >> Reporter: BUCKHALTER STILL LOOKS LIKE AN ATHLETE.
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE HE WAS AN ADDICT FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS. HE TOLD US HE DOES NOT REMEMBER HOW MANY TIMES HE OVERDOSED AND
THAT HE COULDN'T STAY CLEAN FOR MORE THAN FOUR DAYS AT A TIME. >> I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING TO SLEEP SOME NIGHTS.
MY FAMILY DIDN'T WANT ME AROUND ANYMORE. I DID SO MANY THINGS TO HURT THEM THAT IT WAS JUST TOO MUCH
FOR THEM TO DEAL WITH. >> Reporter: FIVE YEARS AGO, A PSYCHOLOGIST WHO HAD WORKED WITH BUCKHALTER INTRODUCED HIM TO DR.
ALI REZAI, WHO WAS GEARING UP TO PERFORM A NEW KIND OF BRAIN SURGERY. >> OUR PROTOCOL WAS PEOPLE THAT
HAD FAILED EVERYTHING. >> ONCE YOU TRIED EVERYTHING. >> EVERYTHING. RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS, MULTIPLE
FAILS, DETOX, MULTIPLE TIMES, OUTPATIENT, INPATIENT, MULTIPLE OVERDOSES. >> I THINK HE CLASSIFIED IT AS
END-STAGE DRUG USER. >> YOU MEAN END STAGE MAKES YOU THINK THIS IS THE END OF YOUR LIFE.
>> CORRECT. AND HEARING THAT AT THE AGE OF 34, IT WAS CRAZY. >> Reporter: DR. REZAI THOUGHT
HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ADAPT TECHNOLOGY HE HELPED DEVELOP YEARS EARLIER TO TREAT PARKINSON'S DISEASE TO TREAT
PEOPLE WITH SEVERE ADDICTION. >> WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAP OUT, WITH NEUROSCIENCE IMAGING, THERE'S A SPECIFIC PART OF THE
BRAIN THAT IS ELECTRICALLY AND CHEMICALLY MALFUNCTIONING THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH ADDICTION. >> SO, IT'S NOT JUST WILL POWER,
IT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE BRAIN. >> IT'S A BRAIN DISEASE. IT'S AN ELECTRICAL AND CHEMICAL
ABNORMALITY IN THE BRAIN THAT OCCURS OVER TIME WITH RECURRENT USE OF DRUGS. AND THIS IS BE ANY SUBSTANCE,
ALCOHOL. IT CAN BE OPIOIDS, AMPHETAMINES, COCAINE. AND THEY ALL ARE INVOLVING THE
SAME PART OF THE BRAIN. >> SO, YOUR IDEA WAS WHAT WITH THE IMPLANT? >> PARKINSON'S, WE IMPLANT THAT
IN THE MOVEMENT PART OF THE BRAIN THAT IS ELECTRICALLY MALFUNCTIONING, CAUSING SHAKING. IN THIS CASE, WE'RE GOING IN THE
BEHAVIORAL REGULATION, ANXIETY AND CRAVING PARTS OF THE BRAIN. >> DR. REZAI HAS SEEN THE IMPACT OF ADDICTION IN HIS COMMUNITY.
THE PROBLEM IS SO SEVERE IN MORGANTOWN, A VENDING MACHINE DISPENSES THE OVERDOSE ANTIDOTE, NARCAN, FOR FREE.
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE AGREED TO SUPPORT DR. REZAI'S ATTEMPT TO FIGHT ADDICTION WITH A BRAIN IMPLANT.
IN 2019, THE FDA GAVE HIM A GREEN LIGHT TO ATTEMPT THE GROUNDBREAKING SURGERY. THAT IS JARED BUCKHALTER.
HE AGREED TO BE THE FIRST ADDICTION PATIENT IN THE U.S. TO GET THE IMPLANT. DR. REZAI'S TEAM INTERVIEWED HIM
THE DAY BEFORE THE SURGERY. >> THE BEST OUTCOME POSSIBLE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, JUST TO CUT THE CRAVINGS OUT AND FEEL A
LITTLE BIT BETTER IF, YOU KNOW, THOSE COUPLE THINGS HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL I COULD POSSIBLY ASK FOR.
>> AT THAT TIME, I WAS SO DESPERATE FOR A BETTER LIFE THAT I WAS WILLING TO DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.
AND I SIGNED UP TO DO IT. >> I THINK SOME PEOPLE MIGHT LOOK AT THIS AND THINK, AN ELECTRONIC IMPLANT IN THE BRAIN
SOUNDS A LITTLE CREEPY. >> PEOPLE MAYBE 50 YEARS AGO, THEY SAY A IMPLANT IN THE HEART SOUNDS CREEPY.
NOW IT'S LIKE NORMAL. 25 YEARS AGO, PEOPLE WERE SAYING, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU'RE PUTTING AN IMPLANT IN THE
BRAIN FOR PARKINSON'S? BUT NOW IT IS A ROUTINE PART OF STANDARD OF CARE FOR ADVANCED PARKINSON'S.
>> THIS IS VIDEO FROM THE SEVEN-HOUR PROCEDURE, SURGERY SO NEW IT DIDN'T HAVE A NAME YET. DR. REZAI OPENED A NICKEL-SIZED
HOLE IN BUCKHALTER'S SKULL. THEN HE DIRECTED A THIN WIRE WITH FOUR ELECTRODES DEEP INSIDE.
>> JARED, ARE YOU OKAY? >> YES, SIR. >> ALL RIGHT. >> JARED WAS AWAKE DURING THE
SURGERY. WHY WAS THAT NECESSARY? >> TO MAP THE BRAIN. WE HAVE TINY MICROPHONES THE
SIZE OF A HAIR WE PUT INSIDE THE BRAIN, AND THEY'RE GOING SLOWLY. LIKE MICROROBOTS, VERY SLOWLY DRIVE THEM INTO THE BRAIN, AND
THEY'RE LISTENING TO THE NEURONS TALKING TO EACH OTHER. IN ADDICTION, YOU WANT TO FIND THE AREA OF THE WORK CENTER.
SO, THAT CONFIRMS WHERE WE ARE IN THE BRAIN. ONCE WE LISTEN AND SAY, OKAY, THAT'S THE RIGHT SOUND, THEN WE
PUT THE FINAL THERAPEUTIC PACEMAKER. >> WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? >> STATIC ELECTRICITY, WHICH MAY
BE ELECTRICITY TO YOU, BUT IT'S MUSIC TO MY EARS. >> Reporter: MUSIC BECAUSE DR. REZAI SAYS IT'S A SIGNAL THAT HE
FOUND THE RIGHT SPOT IN THE BRAIN FOR THE IMPLANT. ONCE IN PLACE, THE WIRE WAS CONNECTED TO A DEVICE PLACED
BELOW THE COLLARBONE. THE ELECTRICAL PULSES IT SENDS TO THE BRAIN ARE INTENDED TO SUPPRESS CRAVINGS.
BUCKHALTER SAID IT WAS PAINLESS. POSTSURGERY, THE SYSTEM IS ADJUSTED REMOTELY WITH A TABLET COMPUTER, AS NEEDED.
>> WHEN THEY TURNED THE UNIT ON, IT WAS AN IMMEDIATE CHANGE. >> WHAT WAS THE CHANGE? >> JUST FELT BETTER.
YOU KNOW, JUST FELT LIKE I DID PRIOR TO EVER USING DRUGS BUT A LITTLE BIT BETTER. AND IT WAS AT THAT POINT THAT I
KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE A LEGITIMATE SHOT AT DOING WELL. >> Reporter: IN ALL, FOUR PATIENTS WITH SEVERE DRUG
ADDICTION HAD THE IMPLANT SURGERY. ONE HAD A MINOR RELAPSE. ANOTHER DROPPED OUT OF THE TRIAL
COMPLETELY. BUT TWO HAVE BEEN DRUG-FREE SINCE THEIR OPERATIONS, INCLUDING JARED BUCKHALTER,
WHO'S BEEN CLEAN FOR FOUR YEARS. >> IF YOU HADN'T MET DR. REZAI, IF YOU HADN'T GONE THROUGH THIS IMPLANT, DO YOU THINK YOU'D BE
SITTING HERE TALKING TO ME TODAY? >> YOU MAY BE TALKING TO MY PARENTS, YOU KNOW, THOSE THAT
HAVE LOST THEIR LOVED ONES TO A DRUG OVERDOSE. BUT YOU WOULDN'T BE TALKING TO ME.
THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. >> AAH, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL. >> Reporter: THE SURGERY WAS A SUCCESS.
BUT OPENING SOMEONE'S SKULL IS ALWAYS RISKY. DR. REZAI THOUGHT HE COULD REACH MORE PATIENTS QUICKLY IF HE USED
ULTRASOUND. HE WAS ALREADY USING IT TO TREAT OTHER BRAIN DISORDERS AND WAS CONVINCED FOCUSED ULTRASOUND
COULD TARGET THE SAME AREA OF THE BRAIN AS THE IMPLANT. >> IS THIS BRAIN SURGERY WITHOUT A KNIFE?
>> IT IS, INDEED. >> SO, THIS IS -- THERE'S NO SKIN CUTTING. THERE'S NO OPENING THE SKULL.
SO, IT IS BRAIN SURGERY WITHOUT CUTTING THE SKIN, INDEED. >> LET'S DO THE MEASURING PART. >> Reporter: DR. REZAI EXPLAINED
HOW HIS TEAM WOULD BE THE FIRST TO TREAT ADDICTS BY AIMING HUNDREDS OF BEAMS OF ULTRASOUND TO A PRECISE POINT DEEP INSIDE
THE BRAIN. >> SO, THE AREA THAT WE'RE TREATING IS THE REWARD CENTER IN THE BRAIN, WHICH IS THE NUCLEUS
ACCUMBENS, WHICH IS RIGHT DOWN AT THE BASE OF THIS DARK AREA. AND THEN WE DELIVER ULTRASOUND WAVES TO THAT SPECIFIC PART OF
THE BRAIN AND WE WATCH HOW ACUTELY ON THE TABLE YOUR CRAVINGS AND YOUR ANXIETY CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO
ULTRASOUND. >> HOW IS THE ULTRASOUND MAKING A CHANGE HERE? >> ULTRASOUND ENERGY IS CHANGING
THE ELECTRICAL AND CHEMICAL ACTIVITY IN THIS STRUCTURE OF THE BRAIN INVOLVING ADDICTION AND CRAVINGS.
>> JUST RESETTING THEM AND GIVING THEM A FRESH START? >> AT THIS POINT IT SEEMS LIKE THE BRAIN IS BEING RESET OR
REBOOTING OF THE BRAIN, AND THE CRAVINGS ARE LESS, ARE MANAGED. ANXIETY IS BETTER. SO, NOW THAT ALLOWS THEM TO
INTERACT WITH A THERAPIST. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT A CURE, BUT AN AUGMENTATION OF THE THERAPY BY
REDUCING THE CRAVINGS AND ANXIETY THAT'S SO OVERWHELMING THAT THE THERAPIST HAS DIFFICULTY WORKING WITH THE
PATIENT. >> Reporter: IN FEBRUARY 2023, WE WATCHED DR. REZAI USE FOCUSED ULTRASOUND TO TREAT DAVE MARTIN,
WHO TOLD US HE'S BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO USED DRUGS HIS WHOLE LIFE. >> WHEN DID YOU START USING
DRUGS? >> WHEN I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD. >> SEVEN? >> YES.
I DID DRUGS FOR 37 YEARS. >> WHAT KIND OF DRUGS WERE YOU USING? >> ANYTHING I COULD GET MY HANDS
ON. >> INSIDE THE MRI, MARTIN WAS SHOWN THESE IMAGES OF DRUG USE TO STOKE HIS CRAVINGS.
>> HIS LEGS WERE MOVING A LOT, AND HE'S VERY AGITATED. >> Reporter: SIMULTANEOUS BRAIN SCAN ALLOWED DR. REZAI AND HIS
TEAM TO IMMEDIATELY SPOT THE AREA IN THE NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS THAT WAS MOST ACTIVE. >> I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE
TARGET ONE MORE TIME. >> Reporter: 90 WATTS OF ULTRASOUND ENERGY WERE BEAMED AT A TARGET THE SIZE OF A GUM DROP.
>> READY? >> Reporter: WITHIN MINUTES, WE NOTICED MARTIN'S FOOT, THAT HAD BEEN ANXIOUSLY BOUNCING, WAS
STILL. AND HE TOLD REZAI'S TEAM THAT THE SAME IMAGES OF DRUGS HE WAS SHOWN EARLIER WERE NOW NOT
SPARKING THE NEED FOR A FIX. >> HEROIN IS GOING DOWN, METH IS ALSO GOING DOWN. MARIJUANA IS DOWN.
>> MARIJUANA IS DOWN? >> A LOT ACTUALLY. >> GOOD. KEEP ON SONICATING.
>> THE DAY OF THE PROCEDURE WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. I DIDN'T EXPERIENCE THE SAME EFFECT AS, LIKE, THE TIMES
BEFORE. >> YOU DIDN'T FEEL LIKE, I NEED THAT, I WANT THAT? >> NO, I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I
NEEDED -- THE URGE OR THE DESIRE TO USE WASN'T THERE ANYMORE. >> SO, WITHIN 15 TO 20 MINUTES OF TREATMENT, THE CRAVING AND
ANXIETY MELTS AWAY. AND WE'RE SEEING THIS PATTERN IN MULTIPLE INSTANCES. >> THEN THEY CAN WALK AWAY AFTER
THIS? >> THEY GET OFF THE TABLE AND GO HOME. >> AND HOW LONG DOES THIS ENTIRE
PROCEDURE -- >> ONE HOUR. >> ONE HOUR? >> ONE HOUR.
>> HAVE YOU BEEN AROUND PEOPLE STILL USING DRUGS? >> YES, YES, UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE.
>> AND WHAT HAPPENS? >> IT DIDN'T EVEN TRIGGER ME. I USED TO USE INTRAVENOUSLY WITH NEEDLES.
IT WAS A LITTLE WHILE AGO, NOT TOO FAR BACK, THIS ONE INDIVIDUAL WAS TRYING TO HIT THEIR SELF AND THEY COULDN'T
HIT. AND THEY ASKED ME, CAN YOU HIT ME? >> SO, YOU ACTUALLY PUT DRUGS IN
THIS PERSON? >> YEAH, I ACTUALLY START THEM, DREW THEIR BLOOD BACK. BEFORE WHEN I DREW THE BLADDER
BACK, IT WOULD MAKE ME SWEAT BECAUSE I COULDN'T WAIT TO HIT MYSELF. THIS TIME, I WAS JUST LIKE, GOD,
I HOPE THEY DON'T OD AND I KILL THEM HERE. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY URGE OR DESIRE OR ANYTHING.
>> Reporter: DR. REZAI'S TEAM TOLD US DAVE MARTIN DID ADMIT TO TAKING ONE PAIN KILLING PILL AT A PARTY IN DECEMBER.
STILL, 12 OF THE 16 PATIENTS REMAINED DRUG-FREE THROUGHOUT THE THREE-YEAR TRIAL. DR. ALI REZAI IS TRYING THE SAME
ULTRASOUND THERAPY ON 45 MORE ADDICTION PATIENTS. HE'S ALSO BEEN GIVEN FDA APPROVAL TO USE ULTRASOUND TO
HELP PEOPLE WITH OBESITY. >> THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS, RESEARCH NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. WE HAVE TO LEARN MORE.
WE HAVE TO REPLICATE OUR FINDINGS. >> IS THERE ANY RISK AT RUNNING TOWARDS SOMETHING QUICKLY?
>> THERE'S ALWAYS RISK. BUT YOU CANNOT ADVANCE AND MAKE DISCOVERIES WITHOUT RISK. BUT WE NEED TO PUSH FORWARD AND
TAKE THE RISK BECAUSE PEOPLE WITH ADDICTION AND ALZHEIMER'S, IT'S NOT GOING AWAY. IT'S HERE.
SO, WHY WAIT 10, 20 YEARS? DO IT NOW.
>>> OKAY. NAME THAT COUNTRY. IT'S PLANTED OPPOSITE EUROPE, SITTING PROUDLY ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE NORTH SEA. IT'S A MONARCHY THAT FEATURES ITS ON CURRENCY, POSTAGE STAMPS, CONSTITUTION, NATIONAL ANTHEM,
LOVE OF TEA, AND A PAIR OF HANDSOME PRINCES BORN TWO YEARS APART. WE SPEAK OF SEALAND, A CHROME OF
REAL ESTATE OFF THE ENGLISH COAST THAT DECLARED ITS INDEPENDENCE IN 1967. SEALAND HAS A FULL TIME
POPULATION OF ONE. IT HAS A LAND MASS THE SIZE OF ROUGHLY TWO TENNIS COURTS. ITS LEADING EXPORT MIGHT BE THE
NATIONAL MYTHOLOGY, A HISTORY OF PIRACY, COUPS, COUNTERCOUPS, ROGUES, AND SCHEMES. IT MAY MAKE LIECHTENSTEIN LOOK
LIKE CHINA BY COMPARISON. BUT BY RIGHTS, SEALAND IS A SOVEREIGN NATION. JOIN US, AS WE COMPILE SOME
NOTES FROM A TRULY SMALL ISLAND. >> YOU SEE THAT? >> THERE SHE IS. >> YEAH, YEAH.
>> Reporter: BEHOLD, THE WORLD'S SMALLEST STATE. IT'S A MICRO NATION IN THE EXTREME, A PRINCIPALITY WHICH
SITS -- OR STANDS -- ONLY SEVEN MILES OFF THE COAST OF ENGLAND. ITS SELF-DESCRIBED REIGNING MONARCH IS THIS GUY, PRINCE
MICHAEL BATES. >> HERE WE ARE. >> A PLATFORM AND A COUPLE OF CONCRETE HUSKS, AND THIS IS A
STATE. >> Reporter: ENTER SOME COUNTRIES, YOU ARRIVE IN STYLE. HERE, YOU ARRIVE IN WHAT'S
BASICALLY A BACKYARD SWING HOISTED BY A CRANK 60 FEET ABOVE THE NORTH SEA. AND IF YOU'RE WONDERING ABOUT
THE SAFETY REGULATIONS, YEAH, US TOO. THEN AGAIN, WHEN YOU ARE A SOVEREIGN NATION, YOU, BY
DEFINITION, SET YOUR OWN RULES. >> THAT'S A HELL OF A WAY TO GET INTO A COUNTRY. >> THE ONLY WAY TO TRAVEL.
>> Reporter: ON THE PLUS SIDE, THERE IS NO LONG LINE AT THE ARRIVALS HALL. >> I'M FOLLOWING YOU TO PASSPORT
CONTROL. >> Reporter: MIKE BARRINGTON FILLS VARIOUS ROLES AND POSITIONS ON SEALAND.
RIGHT NOW IT'S IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS. HE ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE ONLY PERMANENT RESIDENT.
>> SO, NOW I'M OFFICIAL? >> YOU ARE. WELCOME TO SEALAND. >> Reporter: IT WASN'T ALWAYS
NAMED SEALAND, AND IT WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE A COUNTRY. ORIGINALLY CALLED HIS MAJESTY'S ROUGHS TOWER, IT WAS A HASTILY
CONSTRUCTED NAUTICAL PORT, ONE OF SEVERAL THE BRITISH SET UP IN THE NORTH SEA DURING WORLD WAR II.
EQUIPPED WITH ANTIAIRCRAFT ARTILLERY, THESE FORTS WERE DESIGNED TO PREVENT GERMAN BOMBING RAIDS ON LONDON.
DURING THE WAR, MORE THAN 100 ROYAL MARINES WERE CRAMMED INTO THESE TOYERS FOR MONTHS ON END. DESCENDING THE SEVEN-STORY
TOWERS, IT FEELS -- AND SMELLS -- LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A TREE HOUSE AND A DIESEL-SOAKED SUBMARINE.
FIRST UP, THE FIRST CLASS BEDROOM SUITE. >> IT'S A NICE ONE. >> YEAH.
NICE TV. >> Reporter: OUR CLAUSTROPHOBIC TOUR CONTINUED DOWNWARD. >> NOW WE'RE UNDERWATER AT THIS
POINT. WE'VE STILL GOT A COUPLE FLOORS TO GO. YOU HEAR THE PROPELLERS GOING,
DING, DING, DING. >> Reporter: LIKE MANY COUNTRIES, THERE IS A NATIONAL CATHEDRAL.
>> WE HAVE FREEDOM OF WORSHIP IN SEALAND. I THINK THERE'S EVEN THE QURAN IN HERE SOMEWHERE.
>> Reporter: ON THE BOTTOM FLOOR, THE JAIL. >> I HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SEALAND CONSTITUTION AND SEE WHAT MY
RIGHTS ARE. >> Reporter: IF YOU'RE WONDERING BY NOW HOW THIS CONCRETE ISLAND CONSTITUTES A COUNTRY, STICK
WITH US HERE. >> THIS IS RADIO CAROLINE, 199. >> Reporter: BACK IN THE 1960s, THESE SAME WATERS PLAYED HOST TO
THE BURGEONING UNLICENSED COMMERCIAL RADIO BUSINESS THAT OPERATED ON SHIPS AND OLD FORTS, WHAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT
CALLED PIRATE RADIO. IT WAS A TIME OF THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES, THE KINKS. BUT THE STODGY BBC, WHICH HAD A
MONOPOLY ON BROADCASTING IN BRITAIN, GAVE THE ROCK BANDS JUST AN HOUR OF AIR TIME A WEEK. ♪
THE YOUNGER SET IN BRITAIN, MILLIONS OF THEM, TUNED THEIR KNOBS TO THE PIRATE STATIONS. IN 1965, PRINCE MICHAEL'S
FATHER, ROY BATES, AN ENTERPRISING, SWASHBUCKLING WORLD WAR II VETERAN COMMANDEERED A FORT WHERE
ANOTHER PIRATE STATION OPERATED. IT WAS THE WILD WEST ON THE NORTH SEA. >> THE DEEJAYS MAY NOT BE HIGHLY
EXPERIENCED, BUT THEY CERTAINLY PULL THEIR WEIGHT. >> Reporter: BATES SET UP BRITAINS FIRST 24-HOUR OUTFIT.
HE CALLED IT RADIO WESSEX. >> THE PUBLIC WANTED US TO DO THE JOB. I THINK WHILE THIS DEMAND IS
HERE, WE'LL REMAIN. >> Reporter: BUT NOT FOR LONG. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ENACTED A NEW LAW, RENDERING ALL PIRATE
RADIO STATIONS ILLEGAL. BATES WAS FORCED TO SHUT DOWN. BUT TRUE TO HIS NATURE, HE WAS SOMETHING OTHER THAN SCARED OFF.
>> HE JUST WOULD NOT BACK DOWN. >> FORM OF SURRENDER. IF HE SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M OUT.
>> I MEAN, NO. >> Reporter: FAR FROM SURRENDERING, BATES SEIZED ANOTHER FORT, ROUGHS TOWER,
WHICH WAS OUTSIDE UK TERRITORIAL WATERS. INSTEAD OF RESTARTING RADIO ESSEX, HE DID SOMETHING BOLDER
STILL. ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1967, HE DECLARED IT AN INDEPENDENT STATE, SEALAND, AND DECLARED
HIMSELF ITS PRINCE. IT WAS HIS WIFE JOAN'S BIRTHDAY. >> IT WAS A DRAMATIC GESTURE TO MAKE HER A PRINCESS.
>> HE DIDN'T TAKE HER TO DINNER. HE JUST MADE HER A PRINCESS. >> Reporter: THEY SET UP HOME ON SEALAND.
THE SHEER NOVELTY OF THEIR LIFESTYLE WAS A SOURCE OF AMUSEMENT ON THE MAINLAND. THIS NEWS REEL IS FROM 1969.
>> THE START OF THE NEW DAY, EVEN FOR THE NEW ROYALS, IS NO DIFFERENT THAN MILLIONS OF OTHERS, THEIR REQUEST FOR A
COMMON CUP. >> MOW POSSIBLE IS IT TO KEEP LOOKING GLAMOROUS IN CONDITIONS LIKE THESE?
>> IT'S NO MORE DIFFICULT THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. WE'RE QUITE COMFORTABLE HERE. I HAVE ALL THE THINGS I WANT.
>> Reporter: AT AGE 16, PENNY WAS LESS CONVINCED. >> IT WAS FREEZING COLD AND IT HAD NO ELECTRICITY.
TO FLUSH A TOILET, YOU'D HAVE TO CHUNK A BUCKET OVER THE SIDE, PULL IT UP, AND FLUSH THE TOILET.
>> THAT WAS YOUR TOILET? >> YES. >> Reporter: THE BATES FAMILY HAD BIG AMBITIONS TO TURN IT
INTO A LUXURY ISLAND AND CASINO. THEY WENT ALL IN ON STATEHOOD, FASHIONING A FLAG, STAMPS, CURRENCY, AN ANTHEM, EVEN A
NATIONAL MOTTO, E MARE LIBERTAS, FROM THE SEA, FREEDOM. AS TEENS, MICHAEL AND PENNY WOULD SPEND MONTHS ON SEALAND
HOLDING DOWN THE FORT, AS IT WERE, FIRING OFF WARNING SHOTS AND TOSSING MOLOTOV COCKTAILS OVERBOARD TO FEND OFF PERIODIC
ATTEMPTS OF INVASION FROM RIVALS AND BUCCANEERS. >> WHEN THE PRESS EVENTUALLY CAME OUT AND TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS,
MY FATHER CALLED ME DOWN AND HE SAID, NOW, LOOK, HE SAID, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD HUH-UH DO NOT HOLD A GUN LIKE THAT.
>> YOU WEREN'T HOLDING THE GUN THE RIGHT WAY. >> IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURE, THE WAY I'M HOLDING THE GUNS IS
DREADFUL. >> Reporter: FIRMLY SETTLED ON SEALAND, THE BATES REMAINED A NUISANCE TO THE BRITISH
GOVERNMENT. AS A WARNING TO THE FAMILY, A TEAM OF ROYAL ENGINEERS BLEW UP A SIMILAR NORTH SEA FORT.
AT SEALAND'S NATIONAL ARCHIVES, WHICH DOUBLES AS PRINCE MICHAEL'S DINING ROOM TABLE, WE WERE SHOWN DECLASSIFIED PLANS
DRAWN UP BY THE BRITISH MINISTRY OF DEFENSE TO TAKE SEALAND BY FORCE. >> THE FULL UNITS ARE TO BE
AVAILABLE TO THE EXECUTION OF THE OPERATION. ROYAL NAVY, TWO WESSEX 5 HELICOPTERS, CRAFTS FROM HM
NAVAL BASE CHATHAM, PORTSMOUTH, AND A CLEARANCE DIVING TEAM. IT'S CRAZY, ISN'T IT? >> Reporter: BUT IT WASN'T JUST
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT THAT WANTED TO DISLODGE THE FAMILY. IN AUGUST 1978, A BAND OF ROGUE DIAMOND MERCHANTS LAUNCHED A
COUP COUP D'ETAT. THEY ARRIVED BY HELICOPTER WITH A FILM CREW IN TOW, TAKING
PRINCE MICHAEL BY SURPRISE AND ROUGHING HIM UP. >> THEY TIED MY ELBOWS TOGETHER, MY FEET TOGETHER, MY HANDS TO MY
KNEES, AND THEY PICKED ME UP, AND SAID, LET'S CHUNK THIS PERSON OVER THE SIDE. HE'S TOO MUCH TROUBLE.
>> YOU'RE A FULL ON POLITICAL PRISONER RIGHT NOW? >> YEAH. >> Reporter: SEALAND HAD FALLEN.
AFTER THREE DAYS, MICHAEL WAS RELEASED. DID MICHAEL AND HIS FATHER THEN RETURN VIA HELICOPTER TO STAGE A
SUCCESSFUL COUNTER COUP? YES, YES THEY DID. >> I JUMPED AND LANDED CRASHED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GERMANS.
HIT THE DECK, BOOM. THE GERMANS WENT LIKE THAT. >> THEY SURRENDER? >> THAT'S IT.
>> YOU'VE RECLAIMED YOUR PRINCIPALITY. >> Reporter: DISARMED, THE PLOTTERS WERE RELEASED, ALL
EXCEPT FOR ONE. HIS NAME WAS PUTS, AND HE WAS MADE TO CLEAN THE BATHROOM, MAKE COFFEE, AND IMPOSED A FINE FOR
TREASON, $37,000. HIS IMPRISONMENT BROUGHT A GERMAN DIPLOMAT TO SEALAND. >> BUT IF YOU HAVE GERMAN
EMISSARIES COMING HERE TO TRY AND NEGOTIATE THE RELEASE OF THIS PRISONER, DOESN'T THAT IMPLY THAT SEALAND IS A STATE
THAT'S HAVING RELATIONS? >> ABSOLUTELY. THE FACT OF RECOGNITION, IT HAPPENED, YEAH.
>> Reporter: THIS DIPLOMATIC VISIT WAS CRITICAL FOR THE BATES FAMILY. AN INTERNATIONAL TREATY SIGNED
IN THE 1930s ESTABLISHED FOUR REQUIREMENTS FOR STATEHOOD. ONE IS RECOGNITION BY ANOTHER STATE.
SEALAND HAD ALREADY MET THE OTHER TESTS, A GOVERNMENT, CHECK, A DEFINED TERRITORY, CHECK, AND A PERMANENT
POPULATION, CHECK, THANKS TO MICHAEL BARRINGTON. >> SO, WHAT'S YOUR POSITION HERE?
>> WELL, I DO MOST OF THE ENGINEERING WORK, THE ELECTRICAL AND WHATEVER. APPARENTLY I'M HEAD OF HOMELAND
SECURITY. >> WHAT ARE YOU PROTECTING THIS PLACE FROM? >> THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT OR
ANYBODY ELSE THAT DECIDES TO TAKE US OVER. WE ARE A COUNTRY AFTER ALL, A SMALL NATION.
>> YOU'RE READY TO USE WEAPONS IF YOU MUST. >> IF NEED BE, YES, NO HESITATION.
HAS UPDATED THEIR PIRATE RADIO SENSIBILITIES FOR THE TIMES. IN THE EARLY 2000s, THEY PARTNERED WITH INTERNET
ENTREPRENEURS, WHO INVESTED MILLIONS IN DESIGNS OF TURNING SEALAND INTO AN OFFSHORE DATA HAVEN.
>> WE USED TO RUN THINGS LIKE GAMBLING SITES, PORN SITES. WE HAD A FEW DUBIOUS PEOPLE ASKING US TO DO THINGS THAT WE
DIDN'T REALLY AGREE WITH. THERE WAS AN ORGAN TRANSPLANT COMPANY, LIKE HUMAN ORGANS, THAT WANTED TO HOST OUT HERE, WHICH
MY FATHER WAS AGAINST. >> GAMBLING AND PORN IS OKAY BUT WE DRAW THE LINE AT HARVESTING HUMAN ORGANS.
>> YES, EXACTLY. >> Reporter: THAT VENTURE FAILED BUSINESS MALI. BUT TODAY JAMES AND HIS YOUNGER
BROTHER ARE STILL HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE INTERNET. THE BATES FAMILY WON'T DISCLOSE THE SIZE OF THE NATIONAL DEBT OR
THE YEARLY BUDGET, BUT IT IS SERVICED THROUGH THE ONLINE SALE OF NOBLE TITLES. BECOME A LORD OR LADY FOR $30.
600 BUCKS WILL MAKE YOU A SEALAND DUKE OR DUCHESS. >> AND PEOPLE ARE BUYING THESE TITLES.
WHAT IS THAT ALL ABOUT? >> I THINK IT MEANS SO MANY THINGS TO SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
SOME PEOPLE LOVE THE ACT OF POLITICAL DEFIANCE. SOME PEOPLE LOVE THE LOVE STORY THAT RAN THROUGH IT WITH MY
GRANDPA. SOME PEOPLE LOVE THE DAVID AGAINST GOLIATH. >> Reporter: THAT NATIONAL MYTH
HAS FAR OUTGROWN THE COUNTRY ITSELF. AS FOR THE HOUSE OF BATES, ROY AND JOAN HAVE PASSED ON.
AND THE REST OF THE LINEAGE LIVES IN THE SMALL ENGLISH RESORT TOWN OF SOUTH END ON SEA. PRINCES JAMES AND LIAM RUN A
BUSINESS HARVESTING COCKLES. PRINCESS PENNY RUNS A BOTOX CLINIC NEARBY. AND SEVEN YEARS AGO, PRINCE
MICHAEL MARRIED AND WELCOMED A NEW PRINCESS, MAE SHI, A FORMER ARTILLERY MAJOR IN CHINA'S PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY.
SIX DECADES AFTER FOUNDING THEIR PRIVATE COUNTRY, THE ROYAL FAMILY REMAINS COMMITTED TO THE BIT.
>> IT'S THE GOLDEN AGE FOR SEALAND? >> HOPEFULLY. >> THE BRITISH NAVY ROLLED UP
TOMORROW AND SAID IT'S TIME TO RECLAIM SEALAND, HOW DO YOU RESPOND? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I'M SURE
THEY WOULDN'T. BUT IF THEY DID, I'D JUST GET THE BEST CHINA OUT AND MAKE THEM A NICE CUP OF TEA.
>> LATER THIS YEAR, THE ROYAL FAMILY WILL BE ROLLING OUT THEIR LATEST GAMBIT, DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP TO HELP FUND
SEALAND'S REFURBISHMENT INTO A TOURIST DESTINATION. >>> GETTING TO AND STAYING ON SEALAND.
>> I'D BE LYING IF I SAID IT WAS THE MOST COMFORTABLE NIGHT'S >>> I'M SCOTT PELLEY. WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK WITH