Neuroscience + Art

Throughout the years, the representation of the brain has transformed and many ideas have developed about how the brain really works.

Aristotle, the father of psychology, believed that thought process occurred in the heart. We now know that it really occurs in the inner workings of the brain. Not only do we know how the brain functions, but researchers have devised a method to look inside of it through a method called Brainbow.

http://www.ted.com/talks/carl_schoonover_how_to_look_inside_the_brain.html

Before Brainbow, neurons could only be highlighted up to 2 colors. One common method even launched the modern neuroscience known as the Golgi method. It was discovered by Italian physician and scientist Camillo Golgi. It is a silver staining technique that was used to visualize tissue under light microscopy. The Golgi method, stained about 1% of the cells in the brain tissue.

Santiago Ramon y Cajal applied Golgi science and gave the modern nerve cell of a neuron. He demonstrated that neurons don't operate alone; they make connections with other neurons that form circuits. Today, when researchers want to visualize neurons they light them up from the inside.

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Santiago_Ram%C3%B3n_y_Cajal



Brainbow was first developed by Jeff W. Lichtman and Joshua R. Sanes. The technique would borrow genes from bacteria, coral and jellyfish that made mice brains glow in a variety of colors. Brainbow is the process by which individual neurons in the brain can be distinguished through the use of fluorescent protein; there are roughly 90 distinct colors.

http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/v10/n6/full/nmeth.2450.html

Using genetic recombination techniques, researchers inserted gene pigments into the genomes of developing mice. As the mice developed, the gene pigments got divided between the mice cells.
http://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/science/connectome-project/brainbow



One disadvantage for the Brainbow is that it can only be seen under fluorescent microscopes. It also only works with genetically modified animals, which at the moment are only mice. On the other hand, Brainbow has allowed scientists a more complete view of the brain. Instead of just being able to view one cell within a circuit, you can view the circuit itself.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3312331/Brainbows-offer-unique-colour-brain-map.html

Litchman states that Brainbow will reveal the miswirings in certain mental disorders. These include neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Brainbow is not only beautiful, also powerful.


Works Cited:

"Brainbow." Center for Brain Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. 

Cai, Dawen, Kimberly B. Cohen, Tuanlian Luo, Jeff W. Lichtman, and Joshua R. Sanes. "Improved Tools for the Brainbow Toolbox." Nature Methods 10.6 (2013): 540-47. 05 May 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Highfield, Roger. "Brainbows Offer Unique Colour Brain Map." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 30 Oct. 2007. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. 

Nemri, Abdellatif. "Santiago Ramon Y Cajal." Scholarpedia. N.p., 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Santiago_Ramón_y_Cajal>.

Schoonover, Carl. "Carl Schoonover: How to Look inside the Brain." TED: Ideas worth Spreading. TED: Ideas worth Spreading, May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. 

Images:

Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l4w35jR2891qb6etto1_500.jpg.>

Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. 
        <http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Society/Pix/pictures/2008/05/27/Brain460.jpg>.
Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/kammer/files/2010/09/ramon-y-cajal.jpg>.
Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~novak/ramon.gif>.
Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://cbs.fas.harvard.edu/usr/connectome/brainbow/brainbow7.jpg>.
Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://download.cell.com/images/edimages/Cell/picshow/images/full/338.jpg>.