Have you ever heard of folks turning into talented artists after facing a severe brain injury or stroke? Sounds a bit like a superhero origin story, right?
Well, something similar is happening among a handful of people diagnosed with dementia. A bunch of scientists from UC San Francisco, all 27 of them, are scratching their heads trying to figure out why this happens.
Brain Changes and Unexpected Talents
Our story begins back in 1996 when a brain doctor named Bruce Miller noticed that some of his patients with a particular type of dementia (called frontotemporal dementia or FTD) started to show incredible artistic skills.
Remember Bruce Willis, the action star? His family told us earlier this year that he has this condition too.
Now, dementia is a bit like a thief, stealing away bits and pieces of a person’s brain cells. But oddly enough, in some cases, it ends up unlocking a hidden treasure chest of creativity.
Finding the Puzzle Pieces
To solve this mystery, another brain doctor named Adit Friedberg led a team of researchers and did some detective work.
They studied medical records of hundreds of FTD patients and found a group of 17 who suddenly turned into artists at the start of their dementia.
Dr. Friedberg then scanned the brains of these patients and compared them to people with the same kind of dementia but without the newfound artistic talents. He also included a group of healthy folks in the mix.
What the Scans Revealed
What the researchers found was pretty interesting. Those patients with newfound artistic skills had shrinkage in the parts of their brain responsible for language.
But the area of the brain that helps us process what we see was working in overdrive.
Language Loss and Artistic Gain
The findings suggested a fascinating twist. When the language part of the brain starts to fail, it seems to kickstart the visual part, sparking creativity.
This was also seen in the symptoms. Most of the newly minted artists had trouble understanding or pronouncing words, a key symptom of their dementia.
Dr. Friedberg found that these creative talents usually showed up just around when the symptoms started.
Some of these patients had no prior artistic skills, while others were already into arts but saw a dramatic shift in their creative style.
Artwork Mirroring Brain Changes
The artwork from these patients ranged from mathematically precise to wildly spontaneous.
The colors were often bright and vibrant, with quirky content. Interestingly, when the art featured faces, they often looked quite unusual.
A Potential Path to New Treatments?
The study also found a special connection between the part of the brain controlling the right hand and the area responsible for creativity.
Dr. Friedberg thinks this could be a sign of neuroplasticity, which is basically the brain’s way of rewiring itself. This understanding could pave the way for new treatments for dementia and other brain conditions.
Why Does This Happen?
Why only some patients turn into artists is still a mystery. Genetics might be a factor, according to Dr. Miller. He also thinks the patients’ environment might play a part.
In any case, this surprising phenomenon is another testament to the marvel that is the human brain. It may lose some of its capabilities, but in the process, it sometimes uncovers hidden talents.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and flavonoid-rich foods could help prevent dementia.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that cranberries could help boost memory, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The study was published in JAMA Neurology.
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