Neuroscience + Art

Neuroscience + Art
http://www.medicine.uiowa.edu/uploadedImages/Departments/Anatomy/Content/Education/Human_Brain_PSEUDO2.jpg

I had no idea artists could combine neuroscience and and art in such creative ways. The projects I learned about this week were beautiful on both a visual and psychological level. Most importantly, the projects these artists put together helped diagnose people in the long run, so they were helping out the world as well.

Franz Gall
http://image1.findagrave.com/photos/2008/110/7773_120870652743.jpg

I want to start off with Ramon Chall and Franz Gall who were one of the first people to break down and understand the brain. Gall invented the process of phrenology which tried to understand the brain by breaking down the shape of the skull. He compared the different shapes to those of animals to understand the tendencies and psychological actions of humans such as feelings, religion, and more. They laid the foundation for neuroscience to be explored.

Brainbows
http://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/usr/connectome/brainbow/brainbow7.jpg

Santiago Ramon y Cajal founded neuron anatomy and discovered you could read out the connection patterns between neurons by looking at their shape. It seemed like such a simple thought for scientists yet he was the one who put it together. My favorite project though was Brainbows in which fluorescent proteins were used to show and flag specific neurons in the brain. This unbelievable project helped scientists understand the different neural connections in the brain and treat psychological disorders because of it.

Consciousness
http://www.costaricantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/consciousness.jpg

This week started us off with a question. Where does consciousness come from? While most would point to the sky and speak about religion, these scientists and artists teamed up to truly answer that question and understand human consciousness. Their ideas and projects influenced a generation to come, and helped lay the foundation for understanding and treating people.

Sources:
1. Human Brain Pseudo 2. Digital image. UIOWA. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.medicine.uiowa.edu/uploadedImages/Departments/Anatomy/Content/Education/Human_Brain_PSEUDO2.jpg>.
2. Franz Gall. Digital image. Find A Grave. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://image1.findagrave.com/photos/2008/110/7773_120870652743.jpg>.
3. Brainbow 7. Digital image. Harvard EDU. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/usr/connectome/brainbow/brainbow7.jpg>.
4. Consciousness. Digital image. Costa Rican Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.costaricantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/consciousness.jpg>.
5. The History of Phrenology. LHOON, 05 Mar. 1998. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <The History of Phrenology>.