Art, Music and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.... science says it's important that patients e
It is becomming clearer to me that by linking the skills of abstract colour and pattern to emotion and music in the form of a painting activity, the skill will perhaps be useful in providing meaning and comfort to an individual, as other areas of his of her brain cease to function and cause distress. It is encouraging to see that science is starting to explore the linking of art and music for the same ends.
Cohen, M., H., et al.,(2016) ‘Processing emotion from abstract art in frontotemporal lobar degeneration’. Neuropsychologia. Vol 81 p., 245-254. Elsevier. [online]Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com.ergo.southwales.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0028393215302712 (Accessed: 16/01/2017)
The study concludes that:
“…… art may be somewhat analogous to music, from which patients continue to derive pleasure despite impaired cognitive labelling of emotional states (Omar et al., 2010). These possibilities will only be resolved by detailed examination of art emotion processing in individuals with FTLD who also produce art or at least retain an active interest in it.
De Koonings final paintings (above) in the eighties were clearer and calmer than his early struggles with Abstract. ' Many claim that they can detect the changes in the styles of artists who went on to develop Alzheimers and Dementia. Alex Forsythe at the University of Liverpool analysed more than 2,000 paintings from seven famous artists and found what she believes are progressive changes in the works of those who went on to develop Alzheimer’s. The changes became noticeable when the artists were in their 40s. Though intriguing, the small number of artists involved in the study means the findings are highly tentative. While Forsythe said the work does not point to an early test for dementia, she hopes it may open up fresh avenues for investigating the disease'. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/dec/29/paintings-reveal-early-signs-of-cognitive-decline-claims-study (accessed 08/03/2017)
