This week’s topic focused on Neuroscience and Art. As Professor Desna mentioned in lecture,
Neuroscience is a very popular field of science which is gaining a lot of
interest due to the vast amounts of research within this field of study. In regards to neuroscience, I was interested in
how the brain deals with processing information and sending messages to
differing parts of the body. Research
has shown that different parts of the brain are responsible for controlling
functions of the body.
Michael Gazzaniga, a cognitive neuroscientist at the
University of California, Santa Barbara, is known as the “godfather of modern
split-brain science”. Gazzaniga
performed surgery on a Patient named “Joe” in an attempt to help control his
bouts of epilepsy. Gazzaniga cut “Joe’s”
corpus callosum which is the vital connection between the two halves of the
human brain. By severing this
connection, in effect, both halves of the brain are unable to communicate and “Joe”
is unable to process questions that most humans can process. At the same time, “Joe” is a fully
functioning adult who is able to work and navigate through life comfortably.
A
prevalent topic in this week’s lectures dealt with man’s ability to
intentionally alter his/her mental state.
In their article, Neuroculture,
Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker stated, “Disseminated knowledge about the
biological substrates of behavior empowers individuals to manipulate their
states of mind through mere ingestion of such drugs as they understand their
emotions and behavioral traits in chemical terms” (10). The use of drugs for recreational purposes in
order to alter one’s mental state is a controversial topic. The testing of new medicines on willing
patients has also raised ethical issues.
In the film Inception, Hollywood depicted a world that dealt with the
use of technology and art to affect the brain.
As the main characters of the film went in and out of dreams, “reality”
became confusing to the actors and the audience.
Neuroscience will continue to gain a significant amount of
interest from scientists as research into this area continues. Medicinal purposes, and the ability to alter
one’s mental state for pleasure purposes are two issues that will cause ethical
debates. The future of neuroscience is
full of potential, and it’s amazing to see how far research in neuroscience has
come in such a short time.
SOURCE:
Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture Part 1. Neuroscience + Art part 1.”
Cole UC online. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/63226/wiki/unit-7-view?module_item_id=970446>.
“Phrenological Map”. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://www.phrenology.com/phrenology.html>.
“Brain Function (by lobes)”. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://www.medicalexhibits.com/medical_exhibits.php?exhibit=09079-45&query=brain%20function%20lobes%20frontal%20motor%20cortex%20parietal>.
“Severed Corpus Callosum”. YouTube. 25 June 2008. Web. 16
Nov. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfGwsAdS9Dc>.
Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker. “Neuroculture”.
Science and Society: Perspectives, Volume 10, Nov. 2009.
“Inception Trailer 2 HD” YouTube. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TuSJo4dZM>.
I thought "Joe"'s story was really interesting, especially watching the clip of him trying to draw circles with his right and left hands at the same time. It is crazy to think how complex our brain is, and how our body is controlled by an organ inside of our heads! The section on how we, as humans, are also able to manipulate the way we think/what we believed caused me to think, that such a complex organ could be so dangerous as well.
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