NEW ARTFUL BRAINS
Just as it is with music, our brains are full of art. They are works of art, in and of themselves. They are sculptures, paintings, light shows, and animations. Our brains make art, merely by functioning, as their synapses zap neurons, and as their cells sprout anew. And, of course, they enable us to produce art, sparking inspirations, conjuring visions, and guiding our hands to guide paintbrushes, cameras, forms, and digital equipment.
The neuroimaging community is abuzz with beauty and creativity. Its members are part scientist, part artist, as they create and celebrate a relatively new artform: neuroart.
The image above, “painted” by Juhli Jansen’s brain, shows her neural connections being stimulated while she paints a painting. It is one of the incredible entries submitted in the Neuro Bureau third annual Brain Art Competition. Scroll down to see the winners, just announced on Monday (June 17, 2013).
Winner: Best Representation of the Human Connectome - Self Portrait II
“This is an image I produced as a member (and with the help) of the Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Laboratory (SCIL). This is a brain medical image of my own white matter network that I modified both mathematically and structurally.”
Winner: Best Abstract Brain Illustration - Danzamente: The Dance of Connections
“The complexity and synchrony of neural connectivity represented as the harmonic movement of dancing bodies. Both brain networks and dancers show a beautiful interplay of elements, with unlimited possibilities of interaction and exchange, performance and communication.”
Video: Marcel de Reus, University Medical Center Utrecht
Winner: Best Video Illustration of the Brain: The Dynamic Brain
“Our brain is a complex network of structurally and functionally interlinked regions. Integrative brain function does not solely depend on the activation or influence of a single element of this network, but rather emerges from the system as a whole, the human connectome. Simple dynamical models can be used to give an impression of the system’s continuous neuronal interactions, exposing the highways of our brain.”
Winner: Special Topic: Best Visualization of Probabilistic Connectivity: Billions of Brain Neurons
“The image shows the application of a prototype visualization method using white-matter segmentation and spline-bundle to a simulated MEG source connectivity analysis. Dataset consist of an activation pattern involving a causality relationship between different cortical region using over 5000 regions of interest and the corresponding number of links in between them. Using multiple thresholding methods jointly with a novel 3D brain space visualization, the graph brings visually informative display of the underlying simulated network. While the bundle pathways are not DTI based, the segmentation process is able to present anatomically coherent display.”
We are like kids in a brain candy store diving into this neuroart genre. One of our favorite new haunts is The Beautiful Brain, which explores the latest research and creations through monthly long-form essays, reviews, galleries, short-form blog posts and more. It looks at the mind of the artist and the scientist from the inside out.
Be sure to see all of our posts this week, devoted to beautiful brains, as we explore them through arts/design, nature/science, food/drink, mind/body, place/time, and soul/impact lenses, including:
Beautiful Brains Connect Better
And check out our gorgeous macroscopic views of our bodies in previous posts, including:
Unearthly Macro Coral Reef Photos
The Beauty of Microscopic Seeds
The Most Beautiful Gift in the World
