Week 7: Neuroscience and Art

 This week's topic was really interesting to me. Neuroscience and art have lots of intersections and it was interesting to learn about them. Art and neuroscience have been connected for centuries. Early scientists and doctors used to draw parts of the brain as they researched it. An example of this is Spanish Neuroscientist, Santiago Ramon y Cajal. Santiago Ramon y Cayal researched brain tissue and drew what he observed. These drawing helped other researchers visualize the brain later on, and he won a Nobel Prize for these drawings in 1906. This stood out to me, because even 100s of years ago scientists have incorporated art into their research. As someone who is mostly interested in science, I never thought about how neuroscience intersected with art. I always thought that people were either good at one or the other. However, I was quite wrong. Artists like Santiago Ramon y Cajal show how people can be masters of both science and art and can use both fields to create amazing things.

Santiago Ramon y Cajal work drawing brain tissue

I also watched the TED Talk by Christopher deCharms, who talked about how they use fMRI to show brain activity. They are able to use fMRI to look inside the human brain, which is a non-invasive technology to look into the brain. They area able see brain activity through emotions, physical activity, and pain. They can see all of the brain movements. I think the visualization of this is really cool. It is interesting to be able to see how the brain reacts to certain things. However, I do think that this can be a bit scary. Although it is non-invasive, the ability for people to see how your brain reacts to certain things can be intrusive. The technology can have very good applications, but can also be abused if people use it for the wrong reasons. I think finding a balance between good and bad applications and ensuring regulation is important for creating a safe and advanced world.

fMRI used to view brain activity 

Lastly, I saw that neuroscience and art can be applied to mental health. Many people around the world suffer from mental health issues. According to Mental Health America, 9.7% of youth have severe depression. 24% of adults with a mental illness also report an unmet need for treatment. This is a drastic problem, and one that many have tried to help combat for years. An article by Renee Phillips discusses how art may be used to enhance brain function and wellbeing. She discusses how art can promote the development of neural systems that can benefit creativity, fine motor skills, and provide emotional balance. She also discusses how art can use and improve the systems that are important in cognitive, emotional and sensory systems. This research has become more common, and people have even began to use art as therapy. Both artists and scientists alike have agreed that art can help provide a relief from troubles and improve the overall mental health of people. 

Many people are affected by mental health issues, but art may be a way to help cope with them.

Sources:

American Art Therapy Association, arttherapy.org/. 

deCharms, Christopher. “A Look inside the Brain in Real Time.” TED, www.ted.com/talks/christopher_decharms_a_look_inside_the_brain_in_real_time#t-65436. 

“The Interplay between Neuroscience and Art.” Organization for Human Brain Mapping, www.ohbmbrainmappingblog.com/blog/the-interplay-between-neuroscience-and-art. 

Leman, Jennifer. “The Brain in Images: Top Entries in the Art of Neuroscience.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 29 July 2019, www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-brain-in-images-top-entries-in-the-art-of-neuroscience1/. 

Montañez, Amanda. “Ramón y Cajal and the Case for Drawing in Science.” Scientific American Blog Network, Scientific American, 23 June 2015, blogs.scientificamerican.com/sa-visual/ramon-y-cajal-and-the-case-for-drawing-in-science2/. 

Nelson, Roger. “Global Consciousness Project: Introduction.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, noosphere.princeton.edu/gcpintro.html. 

Phillips, Renee. “Art Enhances Brain Function and Well-Being.” The Healing Power of ART ARTISTS, www.healing-power-of-art.org/art-and-the-brain/. 

“The State of Mental Health in America.” Mental Health America, mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.