Mental illness has long been
associated with
a special part of the brain. Vincent van Gogh cut off
his ear. Sylvia
Plath stuck her head in the oven.
History teems with examples of great artists acting in
very peculiar ways. Were these artists simply mad or brilliant?
According to new research, maybe both.
In order to examine the link between psychosis and
creativity, psychiatrist Szabolcs Keri focused his research on
neuregulin 1, a gene that normally plays a role in a variety of
brain processes, including development and strengthening
communication between neurons. However, a variant of this
gene is associated with a greater risk of developing mental
disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
In this study, the researchers recruited volunteers who
considered themselves to be very creative and accomplished.
They underwent a battery of tests, including assessments for
intelligence and creativity. The results showed a clear link
between neuregulin 1 and creativity: Volunteers with the
specific variant of this gene were more likely to have higher
scores on the creativity assessment and also greater lifetime
creative achievements than volunteers with a different form
of the gene.
We think that great artistry went into our tee shirt (not to
mention the wonderful
surrealistic
portrait on the front of it) and we hope you think so too.
Art credit: Dreamstime.com
For more information, click here.
