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The Neurobiology of the Arts
Volume 77, Number 2

Light Vision
Why do Monet’s poppies stir in the breeze? Why does Mona Lisa’s smile
disappear, then reappear, as our gaze shifts? A neurophysiologist reflects
on how our visual processing system affects our perceptions of art.
by Margaret Livingstone

The Incurable Disease of Writing
Some writers struggle for days to compose a single sentence,
while others scribble deep into the night, seemingly unable to stop.
A neurologist considers the compulsions and frustrations of literary creativity.
Interview by Paula Byron

The Defiant Muse
A patient turns to poetry to try to preserve the memories
he is fast losing to disease.
by Rafael Campo

The Sound of Music
The remarkable triumphs of masters in the artist’s studio—and even one in
the batter’s box—have realigned perceptions of vision.
by Beverly Ballaro

 

Features

Banishing Act
A surgeon returns to Vietnam to exorcise war memories—
and to lift a stigma of birth from a new generation of children.
by Gerald Colman

Visions of Nature
An ophthalmologist reveals an eye for detail in the wild.
by James D. Brandt

Witness to the Execution
Trained to preserve lives, a physician grapples
with the execution of a friend on death row.
by Andrew D. Dean