Neuroscience & Art

 Neuroscience & Art

    Our brains are undoubtedly the core of everything that the world is today, but is also one of the most complex and undiscovered mechanisms on the planet. Although scientists are always making advancements to know more about the brain, there are so many things that have yet to be explained or represented. For this reason, the intersection between neuroscience and art is one that is essential to understanding more about how our minds work. One prime example of this is Greg Dunn's work. Dunn is an artist and neuroscience who created a project called Self Reflected, to explore the mind through art (MEDinART). Dunn created several artistic representations of the different pathways in the brain through micro-etching, and was able to produce extremely detailed diagrams (Dunn Design). 

Because it was created with the micro-etching technique, the drawing highlights different pathways of communication depending on the lighting it is seen in. This is an incredible project, because it highlights one of the most important aspects of the brain, which is all of the different pathways that information travels through. Dunn's project uses art to make science easier to see and understand, without oversimplifying the true structure of the brain. 

    Another important figure in this subject is Professor Nancy Etcoff, who specializes in neuroaesthetics. She is particularly interested in, "expanding the scope of science to the pleasures in life, like the appreciation of art" (The Crimson). One concept she studied was the brain's connection to the artistic form of film. She was interested in why people seek out movies that bring sadness, an emotion that we typically try to avoid. In summary, she found through neuroscience that a part of the brain is activated when people feel emotionally stimulated by art, which causes many other parts of the brain to become activated. This activation is desirable. From these studies, we are able to scientifically see the connection between our minds and different art forms that we love, such as movies. 

    The final example that piqued my interest for this week was fMRI machines. An fMRI measures brain activity, and produces an image based on this information with many different colors. This process is essential for tracking things like tumor growth and the effects of strokes. The artistic representation of this information is extremely beneficial, as it allows doctors to physically see change happening in the brain. This also makes it easier for patients to understand their results, as they can see what is going on in their body. 

Sources 

ACR, RSNA and. “Magnetic Resonance, Functional (FMRI) - Brain.” Radiologyinfo.org, RadiologyInfo.org, 18 Mar. 2020, www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info/fmribrain.

Dunn, Greg, et al. “On 'Self Reflected'.” Interalia Magazine, 9 Dec. 2016, www.interaliamag.org/interviews/greg-dunn-on-self-reflected/.

Dunn, Greg. “Gold Leaf Archives.” GREG DUNN NEURO ART, 2021, www.gregadunn.com/category/gold-leaf-painting-by-greg-dunn/.

Dunn, Greg. “Self Reflected Gallery.” GREG DUNN NEURO ART, 5 Apr. 2017, www.gregadunn.com/self-reflected/self-reflected-gallery/.

Glover, Gary H. “Overview of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.” Neurosurgery Clinics of North America, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3073717/.

MedinArt. “Greg Dunn.” Med in Art, 29 Aug. 2017, www.medinart.eu/works/greg-dunn/.

Pak, Faith. “Beauty and the Brain: The Emerging Field of Neuroaesthetics: Arts: The Harvard Crimson.” Arts | The Harvard Crimson, Nov. 2017, www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/11/10/neuroaesthetics-cover/.

UCLA. FMRI Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lab, 2017, web.csulb.edu/~cwallis/482/fmri/fmri.html.