Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

This week’s topic focused on neuroscience and the brain, an obvious connection with art as all creativity stems from the mind.  In the same way it was covered in my previous post on medicine and art, early art with respect to the mind focused on the anatomy of the brain.  Stemming off from anatomy has been the study of neural pathways through the usage of fluorescent proteins in the Brainbow process (Cai et. al).  These fluorescent proteins allow scientists to track “axons and dendrites over long distances”, allowing for much greater understanding of the intricate anatomy of the brains of several species (Harvard.edu).
 
Brainbow of Transgenic Mice

Also connecting neuroscience with art are many drugs that invoke “trips” that cause the user to hallucinate in various forms.  One example of such a drug is LSD, which was invented by Albert Hofmann in 1938 (Smith).  While creating the compound, Hofmann accidentally ingested it, recalling later that he "‘perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors" for about two hours’ (Biello).  Cocaine has similar effects on the mind, increasing the user’s sensitivity to sight, sound, and touch and causing erratic, violent behavior (DrugAbuse.gov).  Both of these drugs, while used in small dosages for medical purposes, are detrimental to the brain in large doses.  However, they are continually ingested due to these artistic hallucinations that individuals enjoy in the short term.
  
Albert Hofmann

Cocaine

References:
Biello, David. "Albert Hofmann, Inventor of LSD, Embarks on Final Trip." Scientific American. N.p., 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 20 May 2017.

“Brainbow.” Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, 2014, cbs.fas.harvard.edu/science/connectome-project/brainbow. Accessed 20 May 2017.

Cai, Dawen, Kimberly B. Cohen, Tuanlian Luo, Jeff W. Lichtman, and Joshua R. Sanes. "Improved Tools for the Brainbow Toolbox." Nature Methods 10.6 (2013): 540-47. Web. 20 May 2017.

“Cocaine.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, June 2016, www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cocaine. Accessed 20 May 2017.

Smith, Craig S. "Albert Hofmann, the Father of LSD, Dies at 102." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Apr. 2008. Web. 20 May 2017.

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