Unit 7: Neurosci + Art

Phrenology

The idea of consciousness, its origins, and how it functions in correspondence to the brain have for many centuries been a mystery to society. However, with improvements in technology, it brought scientists to what society’s current understanding of the brain is, and ultimately brought deep conceptions of both art and science into the mix. Long before the correct notion of neurology was produced, Aristotle believed that the seat of genuine human thought and emotion came from the heart, where the brain was merely a cooling factor for the blood so the body won’t overheat. Through the introduction of advanced equipment ranging from microscopes to electricity, this idea proved to be false. It was through Franz Joseph Gall and Santiago Ramon y Cajal by which the correct explanation of how the brain worked came about. Gall produced what is to be known as phrenology, which is, in essence, brain mapping. He was convinced that mental functions were appointed to specific regions of the brain and that the basics human behavior are built upon these functions. Cajal also illustrated different ways to perceive the nervous system. He came up with the Neuron Theory, which dove into the investigation of the transmission of nervous signals. He referred to the neurons as mysterious butterflies of the soul; from there, he expanded further and related the connections between the neurons as tree-like structures, that branched out infinitely across the body.

Brainbow

In addition, there are several other techniques of neurology that utilized art. For example, Suzanne Anker came up with the FMRI butterfly to explore the optical illusions that occur in the brain. She set up 15 identical brain scans on a grid, with a butterfly in the center of each with a different reproduction of a Rorschach-test-type inkblots. Another technique, Brainbow, involved the process by which individual neurons in the brain are distinguished from neighboring neurons using fluorescent proteins. With each neuron possessing a distinct unique color, this special method made it possible for scientists to examine multiple neural pathways, rather than just a few.

Sea sponges

Through the growing advancements in technology, sciences in biology and chemistry started to intertwine with neuroscience. With findings of how sea sponges and sea urchins make up 70% of human genes, this helped neuroscientists discover how the human synapses work. Furthermore, with discoveries in the drug LSD by Albert Hofmann, it opened the door to  boundless imagination, creating kaleidoscopic images opening and closing in different shapes, form, and vibrant color.

Sources:

Cohen, Mark S. “Neuroscience-Mark Cohen.mov.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 May 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDq8uTROeXU.

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. “Science and Society: Neuroculture.” Perspectives, Nov. 2009, www.nature.com/articles/nrn2736.pdf?origin=ppub.

Jung, Carl Gustav. The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man. 1931.

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience pt3.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 May 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5EX75xoBJ0.

Vesna, Victoria. “Neuroscience-pt1.Mov.” YouTube, YouTube, 17 May 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzXjNbKDkYI.