Week 7 post

The combination of art and neuro science cannot be easily identified in every day life. One of the more interesting topics from this week that established a connection between neuroscience and art was the use of drugs. I have personally never used any type of drug, but this is the reason I am so intrigued, sometimes I like to live vicariously through the stories of others who have taken these drugs. Professor Vesna introduced many influential doctors and authors who advocated the use of psychedelic drugs. These drugs, in particular LSD, would take the subject to an alternate reality with different shapes, colors experiences, and would often times mix the human senses and create certain visual responses for noises they heard.

Aldous Huxley argued that the use of these psychedelic drugs were essential in order to experience an alternate reality that was much different than our “dull” universe. Another notable person professor described was Dr. Humphry Osmond, who prescribed LSD to his patients as a cure for alcoholism.

Another interesting study was the brainbow project, which triggered each individual neuron to express different combinations of red, blue and green. 

While creating an interesting and cosmetically pleasing picture, it also contributed to the study of the neural connections of the brain. Earlier labeling techniques proved greatly inferior to this one as they could only map a few neurons, whereas this technique could map hundreds individually. Not only were these useful, but they also have won prizes in science photography competitions. Previous topics we have covered have left me unconvinced on the purpose of combining the two, but this week I approve this combination as I can see the benefits to both worlds.

Bibliography

 "Brainbow." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 May 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainbow>.

"How LSD Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.howstuffworks.com/lsd.htm>.

"Life." LIFE. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://life.time.com/culture/life-photos-from-an-lsd-inspired-art-show-1966/>.

"Neuroscience-pt1.mov." YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzXjNbKDkYI>.

"Neuroscience Pt3." YouTube. YouTube, 16 May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5EX75xoBJ0>.