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DavidPerlmutterMD · 2024-01-29 · David Perlmutter (host), Susan Magsamen, Ivy Ross

Your Brain on Art: The Science of Creativity and Neurological Health | Ivy Ross & Susan Magsamen

24 research-tied claims examined: 6 overstated 5 context 8 supported 5 unverified

8

Supported by research

0:03:42Susan Magsamensupportedmoderate

Visual art, metaphor, and symbol are used clinically to build narrative and treat trauma and PTSD.

"the power of, uh, metaphor and symbol in helping to create, build narrative around trauma, which now is work that's being done quite regularly for PTSD and and trauma" (said at 0:03:42)

Clinical literature supports the claim that visual art, symbolism, and metaphors are used in clinical settings to help patients construct trauma narratives and reduce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Art therapy interventions—including mask-making, montage painting, and self-narrative art therapy—are applied in outpatient and clinical programs for military veterans, war-affected children, and individuals with psychological trauma to aid in externalization, trauma exposure, narrative building, and symptom reduction.

0:24:45David Perlmutter (host)supportedmoderate

Nitric oxide is involved in cerebral bioenergetics related to glucose utilization and enhances cerebral blood supply.

"nitric oxide is involved in the bioenergetics of brain functionality with respect to glucose utilization, but also enhances blood supply." (said at 0:24:45)

Published neurovascular literature confirms that nitric oxide (NO) is a central regulator of both cerebral blood supply (neurovascular coupling) and cerebral bioenergetics, including the regulation of glucose metabolism/glycolysis across neurons and astrocytes.

0:31:27David Perlmutter (host)supportedlow

Viewing images of natural environments versus geometric images is associated with functional MRI changes in the amygdala.

"Even you know, it's been demonstrated that even looking at images of natural environments versus geometric images uh is associated with changes in functional MRI imaging of the amygdala, which is something we were talked about earlier." (said at 0:31:27)

Functional neuroimaging studies examining visual exposure to environmental scenes demonstrate differential amygdala activation between natural and built/urban (geometric) environments. For example, an fMRI study in 28 healthy adults found that viewing urban scenic images produced significantly greater activation in regions including the amygdala, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus compared to viewing natural scenic images. Evidence in this domain is generally derived from small experimental neuroimaging cohorts.

0:35:54Susan Magsamensupportedmoderate

James Pennebaker's expressive writing lowers cortisol levels.

"working with um James Pennebaker's work in expressive writing, not necessarily poetry although it could be, but getting an idea out of your head um onto paper that's causing you difficulty um does two things. One, it lowers cortisol" (said at 0:35:54)

Randomized controlled trials investigating James Pennebaker's expressive writing paradigm (and related written emotional disclosure interventions) have found that expressive writing attenuates cortisol release and physiological reactivity in response to acute psychological stress and trauma recall. Studies demonstrate that writing about emotionally challenging experiences or past failures buffers neuroendocrine (cortisol) responses compared to neutral writing conditions, though the effect primarily manifests as attenuated stress-induced cortisol reactivity rather than an unconditional reduction in basal cortisol.

0:36:15Susan Magsamensupportedmoderate

Expressive writing reduces cognitive load.

"One, it lowers cortisol and it also lowers cognitive load." (said at 0:36:15)

Experimental studies demonstrate that expressive writing about stressors or worries reduces intrusive and avoidant thoughts, thereby freeing up working memory capacity and reducing cognitive load/distraction. Randomized experiments show that expressive writing allows individuals to 'offload' anxiety-related thoughts, which preserves working memory resources and prevents performance decrements under high-stress cognitive tasks.

0:57:30David Perlmutter (host)supportedmoderate

Higher levels of systemic inflammation in the body and brain disrupt top-down functional connectivity from the prefrontal cortex to the amygdala.

"interruption of the connection from the prefrontal cortex to exercise this top-down control is enhanced when there are higher levels of inflammation in the body and the brain." (said at 0:57:30)

Observational and neuroimaging studies consistently support that elevated systemic inflammatory biomarkers (such as C-reactive protein [CRP] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]) are associated with reduced or disrupted resting-state and task-related functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex (specifically the ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and the amygdala, a circuit central to top-down emotional regulation.

0:42:48Susan Magsamensupportedhigh

The default mode network of the brain is activated during quiet rest, mind-wandering, and internally directed reflection rather than active external sensory or task processing.

"But the default mode network um goes to work when you're not creating, when you're not bringing that work in. It goes to work when you are quiet. So, you know, in this very fast-paced world we live in, we often don't just stop and let our brains process. And you know, you know how you sometimes you're in the shower and you have a really great idea and you're talking to yourself, it's because you're really just in that sort of in between space and and you know, we probably all have those moments where you're like, I just had a great idea. And you know, you're daydreaming, your mind wandering, you're figuring out what you like and don't like, you're really allowing the default mode network to come online to process all of that sort of sensorial information." (said at 0:42:48)

The default mode network (DMN) is a well-characterized large-scale brain network that consistently demonstrates heightened spontaneous activity and functional connectivity during passive resting states, mind-wandering, daydreaming, and internally focused cognitive processes (such as autobiographical memory retrieval and self-referential thought), while typically becoming deactivated or decoupled during externally directed, attention-demanding sensorimotor tasks.

1:01:32Ivy Rosssupportedhigh

The cave paintings of Lascaux date to approximately 20,000 years ago.

"I mean, you know, 20,000 years ago the caves of Lascaux." (said at 1:01:32)

Archaeological assessments and radiocarbon (14C) dating of organic materials and anthropic archaeological layers directly associated with Lascaux Cave place human occupation and the creation of its art to between approximately 18,000 and 21,500 calibrated years before present (cal BP), corresponding to the Badegoulian-to-Magdalenian transition during the Upper Paleolithic. Recent accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon measurements on fauna associated with anthropic activity in the cave yielded calibrated dates centered around 21,000 to 21,500 cal BP (~17,600 uncalibrated BP), closely matching the approximate figure of 20,000 years ago.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.