Sunday, July 17, 2016

Neuroscience & Art

Neuroscience and Art
Desma 9
July 2016


    Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system and how it operates, particularly in the brain. A tremendous amount of research has been conducted due to advanced technology, which has enabled us to bring art and science together by creating impressive interpretations of the brain. It was Santiago Ramón y Cajal who discovered that nerve cells were separated and not continuous that led to a new way of observing cells. Cajal’s finding paved the way for artists to better understand and illustrate images of the brain. These nerve cells are what make up our feelings, thoughts, and emotions that make us human. According to Professor Vesna, Cajal is one of the greatest examples of an artist and scientist coming together and that he contributed greatly to our idea of consciousness and neuroscience. This leads to the interesting article by neuroscientist Giovanni Frazzetto and artist Suzanne Anker on neuroculture which presumes that nothing happens or exists unless it is filtered through our brain. In this case neuroculture affects our understanding of how the nervous system functions and how it relates to our social and cultural views.


   
  Another interesting aspect that brought art and neuroscience together was the “Brainbow,Project.” This project allowed scientists to track neurons through fluorescent proteins in order to observe different neurons from one another. This is a unique way that neuroscientists can analyze how the brain works and see how neurons form circuits and where they synapse. 




     U.C.L.A. researchers have found that by practicing meditation one can change the way the brain looks while increasing one’s quality of life. They found that meditators had an increased volume in the right hippocampus and more gray matter in the right thalamus and orbital frontal cortex. Neuroscientists are able to observe these findings through MRI scans, concluding that meditation strengthens the brain. The mind and body are definitely linked together, and art and technology are becoming more relevant to the medical and health fields. 



In the image above you can see that the beta waves (shown in bright colors) are dramatically reduced during meditation (on the right).


       A fascinating part of this week’s lecture to me was about dreams. Carl Jung believes dreams are how we communicate with our unconscious mind through our experiences, whereas Sigmund Freud believes that dreams are a way in which we release our urges from our unconscious mind. Freud bases his theories on sex while Jung bases his through experiences.





Sources

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Perspectives 10 (2009): 815-21. Web. 15 July 2016.

"How to Build a Bigger Brain." UCLA Newsroom. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 July 2016.

Montañez, Amanda. "Ramón Y Cajal and the Case for Drawing in Science." Scientific American Blog Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2016.

Vesna, Vitoria. "Neuroscience-pt1.mov." YouTube. Web. 15 July 2016.

Vesna, Vitoria. "Neuroscience-pt2.mov." YouTube. Web. 15 July 2016.




Images

"Brainbow." Center for Brain Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 July 2016.

"Freud." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 July 2016.                              

"Is Meditation Really Beneficial for Your Mind and Body?" Lifehack RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 July 2016.

"Nerve Cells." Wunderkammer. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 July 2016.






1 comment:

  1. Hi Jake! I found the section in your blog about meditation the most interesting. I always thought that meditation relaxed the body due to breathing techniques, and I was amazed to see that it actually has an effect on the brain. The fact that there is scientific evidence of such a phenomenon through brain scanning only supports the idea of meditation having a physical benefit on meditators. I am inspired to try meditating now! Thank you for sharing this!

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