Neuroscience+Art

As the most complex part of the human body, the brain has always fascinated and intrigued me.  This unit on consciousness and the mind truly enabled me to delve further into this complicated topic and explore how art and neuroscience relates.  Both lean on each other to not only exist, but also expand and flourish. 

           

“Brainbows” were developed in 2007 and utilize fluorescent proteins to flag neurons and distinguish them from their neighbors.  The final product is not just a piece of science, but artwork that can aid both scientists and aid the general population in gaining interest and understanding about neuroscience.  Thus, artwork helps spread knowledge about the brain, and the brain was used to both create and perceive the art. 

 

Another source example I found fascinating was the trailer of the 1983 film Brainstorm.  The film follows a team of scientists who have created a machine that can record sensations, emotions, and experiences from a subject’s brain, allowing anyone else to experience the same moments. Yet, this movie proposes the question of whether we are becoming slaves to machines and if they expand our consciousness.  I believe that such technology would prove to be more destructive to our world than beneficial, however it might prove inevitable.   

The mind is extremely malleable, and should thus be protected.  For instance, UCLA researchers have proven that meditation increases areas of the brain that respond to emotions.  As an avid meditator, I found this article extremely fascinating.  I was told it aided health and well being, but the fact that a simple activity involving not thinking can “build a bigger brain” is revolutionary.  If this type of activity can induce a significant change, though, I can only imagine how future technology could begin to alter and shape the brain. 

 

Art and neuroscience are inevitably interconnected.  From the brain reacting to art, to art helping the world learn more about the brain, both topics have leaned upon one another in the last 100 years of study. 

Sources:

BreadCrustCouncil. "Brainstorm Trailer." YouTube. YouTube, 2011. Web. 15 May 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCc69jg9Kvc>.

Gardner, Howard. Art, Mind, and Brain: A Cognitive Approach to Creativity. New York: Basic, 1982. Print.

Vensa, Victoria. Neuroscience + Art Lecture I. UCOnline. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2016.

Vensa, Victoria. Neuroscience + Art Lecture II. UCOnline. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2016.

Wheeler, Mark. "How to Build a Bigger Brain." UCLA Newsroom. N.p., 12 May 2009. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/how-to-build-a-bigger-brain-91273>.

Images:

Adl, Carol. Meditation Can Literally Rebuild Your Brain. Digital image. Your News Wire. N.p., 7 May 2015. Web. 15 May 2016. <http://yournewswire.com/meditation-can-literally-rebuild-your-brain/>.

Brainbow. Digital image. Center For Brain Science. Harvard, 2007. Web. 15 May 2016. <cbs.fas.harvard.edu>.

BreadCrustCouncil. "Brainstorm Trailer." YouTube. YouTube, 2011. Web. 15 May 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCc69jg9Kvc>.