Week 7 | Neuroscience + Art Nicole Chuhak
It is important to realize that as we start our conversation about art and neuroscience that neuroscience is an extremely young topic. The field is only about a hundred years old (Vesna). It is important to note this while we discuss because of the contrast between neuroscience's youth and art's long standing place in history.
Example of Cajal's work
We cannot truly discuss art and neuroscience without first discussing Santiago Ramón y Cajal. He was really the first person to accurately grasps neuroscience in an accurate capacity.His artistic renderings are still relevant and used in neuroscience today. Llinás has gone as far as to say that Cajal is "arguably the most accomplished anatomist in the history of neuroscience." I find this really remarkable that the work done close to a century ago is still has an impact today.
Brainbow
However, in my opinion, one of the most interesting intersections between art and neuroscience can be seen in brainbows. Brainbows are the result of a florescent marker marking different proteins in the brain. In terms of neuroscience, these images show where the different paths and components of the brain are and where they travel. In terms of art, these images have one numerous science art contests (Cai). I find the brainbows not only beautiful, but also very mind bending. Seeing the numerous paths, so easily due to the different colors, shows easily how intricate the brain really is. Even more interesting in my opinion, is the 3D rendering below, illustrating how much the art of brainbows can teach us about neuroscience.
Sources: Cai, Dawen, Kimberly B Cohen, Tuanlian Luo, Jeff W Lichtman, and Joshua R Sanes. "Improved Tools for the Brainbow Toolbox." Nat Meth Nature Methods (2013): 540-47. Print. Llinás, Rodolfo R. "The Contribution of Santiago Ramon Y Cajal to Functional Neuroscience." Nature Reviews Neuroscience Nat Rev Neurosci: 77-80. Print. Vesna, Victoria. "Unit 7: Neuroscience + Art." Lecture. 2012.
I liked that you addressed how the artwork of both Ramon y Cajal and the Brainbow creators have informed neuroscience. Also, your first paragraph about neuroscience being a very young science is a good point, and is not something that I thought about before. Although we have had a long history of psychological studies going back to at least Aristotle, the more advanced understanding of neurological structure and function is quite modern.
I liked that you addressed how the artwork of both Ramon y Cajal and the Brainbow creators have informed neuroscience. Also, your first paragraph about neuroscience being a very young science is a good point, and is not something that I thought about before. Although we have had a long history of psychological studies going back to at least Aristotle, the more advanced understanding of neurological structure and function is quite modern.
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