The
topic we learned about this week was neuroscience and art. Neuroscience is still a field where we have
so much to learn. However, we have
advanced pretty far relative to the days of Aristotle when he thought all of
the thinking was done in the heart (Vesna).
After it was discovered that thinking occurs in the brain, Franz Joseph
Gall came up with the idea of phrenology, which describes that mental functions
are dependent on skull shape (“The History of Phrenology”). This proved to be incorrect, but Gall was
correct that different areas of the brain have different functions. Today there are still many research topics in
neuroscience, including one study that says mediation can help to build grey
matter (Wheeler).
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| Areas of the skull in phrenology. |
The
brain and all of its neurons is a beautiful piece of art. Two men, Golgi and Ramon y Cajal, were
pioneers in figuring out the shapes of neurons in the brain (Vesna). Interestingly, Ramon y Cajal also had
aspirations to be an artist and his neuroanatomy drawings are still used in
textbooks today. Neurons have inspired
artwork today with individual neurons marked with fluorescent proteins. The resulting images are beautiful pieces of
art with each neuron distinguished from one another with bright colors.
 |
| Brainbow. |
Consciousness
and dreams are another major aspect of neuroscience that we know very little
about. In fact, it is estimated that 95
percent of dreams are forgotten (Vesna).
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung thought a lot about the topic of
consciousness. Jung thought of the
modern man as being “newly formed” and “fully conscious of the present.” Additionally in this time, many artists and
scientists alike were experimenting with drugs such as LSD and cocaine. These drugs aided in a counterculture that
was able to experience a consciousness very unlike the present (Markel). Science may not be able to fully comprehend
this yet, but until then, we will have art to depict it.
 |
| Depiction of what it is like on LSD. |
References:
"Brainbow."
Harvard Center for Brain Science. Web. 17 May 2015.
Jung, C. G. The
Spiritual Problem of Modern Man. Print.
Markel, Howard.
"Sigmund Freud's Cocaine Problem." CNN. Web. 16 May 2015.
"The History of
Phrenology." The History of Phrenology. Web. 16 May 2015.
Wheeler, Mark.
"How to Build a Bigger Brain." How to Build a Bigger Brain. 12 Mar.
2009. Web. 16 May 2015.
Hi Brooke, nice blog post! I agree, I think the brainbow project is so cool because it allows us to visualize something that is initially so complex and allows us to make physical connections. I think one of the main strengths of art in this field is for visualizing complex phenomena. That is an interesting picture on the effects of LSD. I wonder if it is more of a scary experience or relaxing and comforting, I feel like it could go either way depending on the person.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting to see how people through the ages have described brain use and thinking, and I think you did a really good job providing a short version of what Professor Vesna was discussing in one of this week's lectures about neuroscience's history. Also, the ability for scientists to use fluorescent proteins to mark and distinguish unique neurons is incredible, and does provide for beautiful, thought-provoking artwork composed of the "stuff" in our brains that makes us human! It's mind-blowing. Good blog post!
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