Brain complexity:multidimensional areas in neocortex (Introduction)

by David Turell , Tuesday, June 13, 2017, 19:48 (2720 days ago) @ David Turell

Here is another study looking at the pre-frontal region doing conceptual work:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170613120531.htm

"For the study, co-authored by Drexel faculty including Jennifer Nasser, PhD, and Hasan Ayaz, PhD, 26 participants wore fNIRS headbands while they completed three different art activities (each with rest periods between). For three minutes each, the participants colored in a mandala, doodled within or around a circle marked on a paper, and had a free-drawing session.

"During all three activities, there was a measured increase in bloodflow in the brain's prefrontal cortex, compared to rest periods where bloodflow decreased to normal rates.

"The prefrontal cortex is related to regulating our thoughts, feelings and actions. It is also related to emotional and motivational systems and part of the wiring for our brain's reward circuit. So seeing increased bloodflow in these areas likely means a person is experiencing feels related to being rewarded.

***

"Doodling in or around the circle had the highest average measured bloodflow increase in the reward pathway compared to free-drawing (the next highest) and coloring. However, the difference between each form of art-making was not statistically significant, according to analysis.

"'There were some emergent differences but we did not have a large-enough sample in this initial study to draw any definitive conclusions," Kaimal said.

"It was noted and tracked which participants in the study considered themselves artists so that their results could be compared to non-artists. In that way, Kaimal and her team hoped to understand whether past experience played a factor in triggering feelings of reward.
Doodling seemed to initiate the most brain activity in artists, but free-drawing was observed to be about the same for artists and non-artists. Interestingly, the set coloring activity actually resulted in negative brain activity in artists.

"'I think artists might have felt very constrained by the pre-drawn shapes and the limited choice of media," Kaimal explained. "They might also have felt some frustration that they could not complete the image in the short time.'"

Comment; I've seen pictographs in the Western USA. Stick figures of animals and people, very primitive and blown whitish material around a hand, giving a silhouette figure. Made in the past 14,000 years or so after they migrated from Asia. The American Indians used stone age bows and arrows, made shelters out of hides, learned to ride horses in the past 500 years, had a spiritual religion of a 'great spirit', had differing languages, etc. As big a brain as the European explorers, but a tiny fraction of European use. Size first, use second!