Dr. Arianna Maffei gave a wonderful presentation on Neural Circuits Plasticity. During her presentation, we learned so much about neurobiology and the mechanism of learning. For example, how food that is good for you is palatable and spoiled food is that is bad for you. Before the presentation, I knew about how the different tastes such as sweet, salty, and the others. However, I did not know about the pathways from the mouthto the brain. It was very interesting to learn how the pathway starts from the TRCto the Insular Cortex. Another topic that was apart of the presentation was on how taste has sensory and affective components. Dr. Maffei explained about an experiment featuring a rat and drinking sucrose. But, during the experiment, the scientist made the rat sick and this affected his experience. After that experience, the rat avoided the sucrose and chose the water instead. This experiment was a perfect example about conditioned taste aversion. Dr. Maffei also showed us how the parts of the brain involving our taste buds. We saw how the neuron in motor cortex look similar to those in taste cortex but respond to different stimuli through the images Dr. Maffei provided. Some of the neurons in the motor cortex project their signal to the spinal cord. They are known as corticospinal neurons. Dr. Maffei explained how a lot of research of Parkinson’s disease involves the corticospinal tract and the neurons. It was amazing experience having Dr. Maffei give a presentation based on Neural Circuits Plasticity and seeing all the different images of the neurons and the brain was incredible.
Author Archives: stguzman
Sleep Research/Artwork Proposal: Lucid Dreaming
Sleep is what we need to survive. Our bodies and our minds need rest. A topic that piqued my interest is Lucid Dreaming. Lucid dreaming is a process where you are aware you are dreaming and take control of the dream. Many people try to discredit it as a new age “trend” and say it’s not possible, however, there are research studies that prove Lucid Dreaming is possible. People who can lucid dream are in REM Sleep and one study shows how EGG tracked their eye movements. Some people have trained themselves to do it, it can happen at random for some people. After doing more research, I found a whole foundation called The Lucid Art Foundation. Founded in 1998, this foundation supports artists whose work is dedicated to consciousness. One of their exhibits was titled “The Colour of My Dreams”, a series of surrealist art featuring paintings, sculptures, and film. On the website, it states that this exhibits “…The exhibition provided a stunning overview of one of most important movements of the 20th century and features a number of signature works by more than 80 artists including Dali’s “Lobster Telephone”, Ernst’s “The Forest”, Miró’s Photo “This is the Colour of My Dreams”, Giacometti’s “Spoon Woman”, Carrington’s “The House Opposite” and Man Ray’s “Emak-Bakia,” among many others. It will also reveal, for the first time, the Surrealists’ passionate interest in indigenous art of the Pacific Northwest and the little-known influence of early Hollywood cinema on the development of Surrealist film” (Vancouver Art Gallery).
For my project proposal, I believe I will make a digital art piece based on my personal interpretation of Lucid Dreaming. I plan on incorporating the patterns from the scans in my piece.
Gordon Onslow Ford Man on a Green Island Oil on canvas, 28 5/8” x 36”, 1939
Sources:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323077.php#6
https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-
the-mind/human-brain/lucid-dreaming.htm
http://www.lucidity.com/slbbs/index.html
http://www.lucidart.org/
http://www.lucidart.org/the-colour-of-my-dreams
Neuro Assignment:William Utermohlen
For an assignment, we had to bring in something neruo. I researched about an artist who suffered from Alzheimer’s. His name was William Utermohlen. He was an American artist known for his paintings and drawings. Before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he has done many self portraits. They were really detailed and realistic. But after his diagnosis, you can see the dramatic art shift between his self portraits. He began drawing many self portraits until 2000. He passed away during the year of 2007 but his wife said I say he died in 2000, because he died when he couldn’t draw any more. He actually died in 2007, but it wasn’t him by then.”
1967 (Before Alzheimer)
1996(Post Alzheimer’s)
2000
Images from demilked.com
PechaKucha: Helen Chadwick
Helen Chadwick: British Installation Artist
Helen Chadwick was a British photographer, as well as a sculptor, and an installation artist. Her birth date was May 18, 1953. She was born in Croydon, England to a Greek Refugee and a local from east London. Her interest in art was sparked after leaving Croydon High School and taking a Fine Art course at Croydon College. She went on and transferred to Brighton Polytechnic from 1973 to 1976. During her time at Brighton, Chadwick had a degree show and is one of her first notable works, Domestic Sanitation (1976). This was a show consisting of her and three other women wearing latex suits while painting on their skin. This performance had the women recreate beauty salon rituals but in a bizarre way. This piece was about the ideals of the female identity. Chadwick would eventually go on and move to Hackney and enrolled at Chelsea College of Art for a year. Chadwick had a wide collection of fascinating artworks. Her pieces include performance pieces, installations, and sculptures. One of her first galleries was called Ego Geometria Sum (1983-6), a ten-piece exhibit based on her growth and development. Stated on www.tate.org.uk , “Initially titled ‘Growing Pains’, it charts the artist’s development from birth to the age of thirty through ten key stages of her life. These are embodied in ten geometric sculptures based on everyday objects of nostalgic significance from her past. Shadowy photographs of Chadwick’s naked body are superimposed with photographs of the original objects and other related elements on the geometric forms.” (Tate, The Labours X). Helen Chadwick have appeared in the nude in several of her pieces. Chadwick disrupts the convention by introducing herself into the picture. As both the artist and subject of the work, the naked figure is not a supine model but the creator of this work of art.
Presentation:Link
Reflection: Amanda Russo
Amanda Russo’s presentation was very informational, and I enjoy learning about the case studies of the patients she discussed. I learned many things from her presentation. Before the presentation, I have an intermediate knowledge of the human brain and how it functions. I understood how Memory is important for our survival. At the beginning of the presentation, she defines Memory as chemicals changes in the brain that we remember, it’s adaptive to remember for survival. While memory is essential for our lives, there are times when memory can be a bad thing. Memory can be bad in terms of situations dealing with trauma, nightmares, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. During the presentation, we learn about two types of amnesia: Anterograde and Retrograde. Anterograde is an inability to form new memories after the brain damage the inability. Retrograde inability to information learned prior to brain damage. Amanda explains a case of a patient named H.M. He suffered from epilepsy and went through a surgery removed a part of brain medial temporal lobe that was the source of epilepsy. He no longer suffered from epilepsy, but he was having memory-related issues. He couldn’t remember things he had done in the previous day. Cured his seizures but left him with anterograde amnesia, temporally graded retrograde amnesia. H.M. had to have people look after him due to this condition. From this presentation, I learned about how the medial temporal lobes are important for forming new memories and for recalling recently formed memories. I also learn how the hippocampus and the Amygdala are in the medial temporal lobe. This presentation was wonderful experience and I’m happy that Amanda was able to share it with us.
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