Scientist investigates how the brains of artists work
Scientist investigates how the brains of artists work
Eirinet Gómez
La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, p. 5
Art attempts to explore emotions, and artists are people who have developed the discipline and obsession for that pursuit
, said Mario de la Piedra, a neuroscientist, passionate about the humanities, and author of the book "Brilliant Minds: How the Artists' Brain Works ," in which he intertwines neuroscience and art to explain the brain mechanisms behind creativity.
In an interview with La Jornada in the context of the presentation of his book, De la Piedra said that the idea of writing this work arose while he was studying medicine: I have always lived in this duality between science and art, but it was not until I began my master's degree in neuroscience that I understood that understanding the brain is understanding the human being
.
Through Brilliant Minds, he seeks to debunk the myth of the tormented genius. "The first thing we think of about artists like Frida Kahlo, Dostoyevsky, and Sylvia Plath is their tragic lives. There's a prevailing idea that to be creative, to be brilliant, you have to have some kind of disorder
," he explained.
De la Piedra spoke out against this belief: “Mental disorders are very common, between 10 and 15 percent of the population suffers from them, but most artists do not have any psychiatric problems.
The artists included in this edition were great not because of their illnesses, but despite them, or rather, because they knew how to use them in their creative processes
, he noted.
The neuroscientist explained that there are some neurological conditions, such as synesthesia—a phenomenon in which stimulation of one sense generates an experience in a different one—that can enhance creative processes.
“Synesthesia isn't a disease; it's a neurological condition in which one sense activates others. There are people who 'see' music or who find certain numbers, words, or colors evoke flavors. This type of condition is much more prevalent in creative people. It's a state of hyperconnectivity, a high level of neuroplasticity that can favor creativity. But that doesn't mean that if someone is synesthetic, they will be creative, nor that someone who doesn't have it won't be creative,” he clarified.
Discipline
In "Mentes genial" (Brilliant Minds) , De la Piedra focuses on an approach in which sensitivity, environment, sustained practice, and even genetics shape creativity. Based on the cases analyzed of painters, musicians, and writers, he found a common pattern: discipline.
▲ Brilliant Minds , a book by neuroscientist Mario de la Piedra, seeks to debunk the myth of the tormented genius, as artists like Dostoyevsky are often believed to have been, portrayed in this image by Vasili Perov in 1872. Photo Wikimedia Commons
Although everyone has very different ways of working and understanding the creative process, I think the pattern I found was the energy to pursue their obsessions. There's no great spark of genius, but there is sustained work
, he noted.
Among the most relevant findings in this volume, the author mentioned the case of Frida Kahlo—a difficult one to address due to the commercial overexploitation of her image. Beyond the pain, which is often emphasized, he found a particular focus on her resilience as a biological and emotional key.
She uses her art to explore pain, but also to express resilience as a biological mechanism for maintaining this neuropsychological stability. Resilience is normal in human beings; in fact, it's common.
The chapter on Wixárika art, psychedelics, and altered states of consciousness was also noteworthy. It was very interesting to explore indigenous art, their ways of thinking, cosmogony, and especially their relationship with psychoactive substances. The question always arises as to whether psychedelics, like mushrooms, peyote, or LSD, have any connection to art and philosophy
.
De la Piedra included Huichol art to break away from these hegemonic cultural fields and show that fascinating art has been created here and in all spheres
.
She also addressed the cases of Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo and their approach to surrealism, dreams, and the subconscious.
"This book is about what amazes me. I hope people will also be interested in it, whether through art or science. They want to know how the brain works, how it relates to other areas."
That there is something called a brain, with a mass of 1,300 grams, but that has more connections between neurons than stars in the Milky Way and that generates thoughts, colors, flavors and emotions, that for me borders on the magical
, he concluded.
Eirinet Gómez
La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, p. 5
In Mexico, it is urgent to implement constant monitoring of red tides because, while most of them are not toxic, some are and can affect both marine fauna and humans. Among other effects, they cause paralysis, respiratory problems, damage to the nervous system, and gastrointestinal symptoms, even death
, Yuri Okolodkov, a researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries at the University of Veracruz, explained to La Jornada .
The specialist explained that measures must be established to control nutrient discharges in coastal areas "to protect both marine biodiversity and economies that depend on the sea, since the discharge of untreated water with high nutrient concentrations into the sea is directly related to the increase in red tides."
“The discharge of nitrates, nitrites, ammonium, urea, and phosphates into the oceans generates a process of eutrophication, in which excess nutrients cause uncontrolled growth of planktonic microalgae, which favors the emergence of this phenomenon.
The massive proliferation of microalgae in bodies of water often turns the sea red, brown, green, or yellow, depending on the algae species present. Those that don't release harmful toxins can cause environmental problems, such as a decrease in oxygen in the water, leading to the death of fish and other marine life
, he noted.
Okolodkov emphasized that the increase in red tides in recent years is anthropogenic, meaning it is linked to human activities such as intensive agriculture, wastewater discharge, and industrial pollution.
This relationship between pollution and algal blooms, he added, has been documented by researcher Gustaaf M. Hallegraeff, who in 2021 published a study based on data collected over 30 years. The study recorded approximately 7,000 red tide events in different regions of the world, reinforcing the need for monitoring and regulating discharges.
Regional analysis
However, the scientist clarified that the trend of increasing red tides cannot be considered global, as each region must be analyzed to detect specific patterns. We cannot speak of a uniform global trend; we must look at the specific characteristics of each region to understand how this phenomenon is evolving
.
Climate change is another factor that could be driving the proliferation of red tides. Rising temperatures will affect coral ecosystems. As corals die, some species of microalgae find favorable conditions to proliferate on them
, he explained.
These processes have already been recorded in the country's waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. According to reports from the Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology, there has been an increase in red tides in recent years, detrimental to fishing and public health.
One of the most promising lines of research in this area is developing an early warning system. Red tides have been known for centuries, but they remain unpredictable
.
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