Neurons in the Brain to Artistical Pathways by Anubhav Chandla
Neurons in the Brain to Artistic Pathways
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| Dr. Greg Dunn Explores the intersection between the brain and art through his anatomic recreations of the “artistic brain” As an aspiring neurosurgeon and neuroscience major, this week’s topic truly spoke to me. Throughout my undergraduate career, I have learned and applied my knowledge about the functionalities of the brain its shortcomings, and technologies to propel this field forward, but I was never given the opportunity to view its intersection with art. Through evaluating the interdisciplinary nature of this field, I learned that it is important for logical thought to meet creative outputs (Gardner 58). For example, immortality is a topic that warrants vast discussions with those presenting “logistical” facts against “creative-free spirits”. However, Jonathon Keats, an artist combines these two aspects believing that the brain comprises of human identity and to achieve mortality it needs to be expressed physically and “consumed” by other audiences (Frazzetto and Anker 816). An MRI of Jonathan Keats “Thinking of Death” Currently, I carry out research evaluating the impact of music therapy on the brain functionality of Parkinson’s patients and learned that this can also be applied to art therapy. I found that art therapy allows for the ability of creative expression and analytical thinking which can help individuals with neurodegenerative diseases find focus as well as minimize tremors (Dommreis 3). Additionally, individuals perceive art in their own unique way, making it difficult to evaluate patterns of thought in which certain cortexes of the brain are more prone to creativity than others. However, it is interesting to learn that brain injuries can completely change functionality. For example, artist Lonni Sue Johnson suffered a hippocampus injury causing her to lose most of her memory, but neuroscientists were able to find that she still remembered most of her artistic techniques and these were stored in other areas of the brain (McDermott 1). As a result, art not only has the ability to connect but heal as well. Dr. Betts discusses the impact of Art Therapy on Autism Overall, this has made me gain a stronger appreciation for my interests and has even allowed me to see the art of neurosurgery itself. By understanding neuroanatomical structures and creating complex surgical plans, knowledge of the composition and form of patient brains are required which pushes for creativity in the field (Ko 3). I aspire to carry on these findings and better develop therapies that are inspired by both art and neuroscience to better patient treatment. Bibliography Dommreis, Carolyn. “Art Therapy Helps with Neurodegenerative Disorders.” Poughkeepsie Journal, https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/life/wellness/living-being/2016/04/29/art-therapy-helps-neurodegenerative-disorders/83720966/. Accessed 19 May 2023. Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. “Neuroculture.” Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, vol. 10, no. 11, Nov. 2009, pp. 815–21. PubMed, https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2736. Gardner, Howard, and E. Gardner. Art, Mind, And Brain: A Cognitive Approach To Creativity. Basic Books, 2008. Ko, Kathryn. “A Neurosurgeon Takes Her Skill to the Art Studio.” https://opmed.doximity.com/articles/a-neurosurgeon-takes-her-skill-to-the-art-studio-75189424-7c75-4a12-bea5-490b41c358e8. Accessed 19 May 2023. McDermott, Amy. “Art and Neuroscience Converge to Explore Disorders of the Brain.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 120, no. 5, Jan. 2023, p. e2221843120. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2221843120. Media Citations Art Therapy in Action: Autism Spectrum Disorder. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCXcqG7wg20. Accessed 19 May 2023. Dunn, Gregg. “Brain and Neuroscience Fine Art Paintings.” GREG DUNN NEURO ART, 17 Sept. 2021, www.gregadunn.com/. Shiels, Maggie. “UK | Magazine | the Man Who Sold His Brain.” BBC News, 27 Oct. 2003, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3217423.stm. |
First of all, your blog page is so beautiful! Second, I appreciate you sharing your experience about doing research on the restorative ability of art therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease. It's really interesting how stimulating different cortexes of the brain can ultimately assist with mitigating tremors and I'd definitely be interested in learning more about this!
ReplyDeleteHi Anubhav! First and foremost, I applaud your ability in composing this wonderful and interconnected blog post. It is amazing to hear about your future career aspirations and how they relate to the topics discussed in this course. I admired your discussion about the brain constituting our human identity. I believe this to be true because every human brain varies, thus we utilize our own perceptions to have unique perceptions of art and the other worldly phenomena we come into contact with. Additionally, I have has a similar experience to you as I have utilized art therapy with the disabled children community and found it to be very beneficial. Above all, this was a great read!
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