Category Archives: Uncategorized

Vincent Van Gogh’s genius is undeniable now. His paintings are revered around the world and sell for multi-million dollars. His brushstrokes, thick and globular, severed tradition and gave rise to a new, unique sect of art. Moreover, his paintings broke convention. They showed the emotional depth of humanity through rich texture, raucous colors, and depictions of labor. Yet, one may say Van Gogh’s prolific work came at the cost of his sanity.  For much of his most productive working years which overlapped with his time in Provence, his health deteriorated. He often experienced hallucinations, episodes of mania, and a dangerous blend of depression and paranoia. When absorbed in his work, he could be in isolation for weeks, even months at a time, barely interacting with neighbors. On the occasion, he did venture in town it was mostly to look for more alcohol. Rarely sober, Van Gogh became a burden on the people of Provence, his only confidante being his family, particularly Theo, his brother, and his brother’s wife, Joan. Theo took immense sympathy on his brother who seemed always plagued with emotional turmoil and believed in his work but found his pieces hard to sell.

Van Gogh’s mood disorder, which today, could be categorized as bipolar, is one not uncommon in artists. Many artists whether it be writers, musicians, actors, struggle with a type of mood disorder. Examples include Virginia Wolfe, Sylvia Plath, Beethoven, and Georgia O’Keeffe. These names represent only a small handful which makes me wonder if there is a link between creativity and mental disorder? And if so, what is it? Is there a neuroscientific correlation between creativity and mood disorders?

Prolific writer died of suicide

Music Genius many hypothesize had bipolar disorder

Famed visual artist Georgia O’ Keefe dealt with depression and anxiety

Before identifying a specific creative link, it is important to define creativity and distinguish what brain regions are responsible for creativity. Creativity is an ability to view problems or generate possibilities in a novel and unique way (Glück et at., 2002). This ability has been linked to personality traits such as flexibility and divergent thinking (Caroli et at., 2009). In recent years, several studies have further tried to understand the link between bipolar disorder and creativity and have generated several interesting insights. Burkhardt et at., 2018 had 38 participants partake in several formalized diagnostic testing as well as interviews to determine whether individuals were bipolar. Subsequently, they took creativity assessments which included the Barron-Welsh Art Scale (BWAS) and the Creative Achievement Questionnaire (CAQ). Results showed that those who tested for bipolar (no distinction was made in this paper between type I and II) had significantly higher scores on the creativity tests. Interestingly, the study notes that an increased creative capacity does not equate to higher creative achievement (Burkhardt et at., 2018).

Another study focused on the structural correlation between creativity and bipolar disorder (Tu et at.,2017). Here, they separated their 59 participants into bipolar 1 and bipolar 2, all of which went through fMRI scanning. Under the fMRI, participants completed two traditional creative tests: The Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults and the Chinese Word Remote Associates Test. These tests challenge the participant to make as many unique associations with a word and/or uses for an object. For example, a component of the Torrance Test could ask list all the uses of a paperclip you can in five minutes. The quantity and quality of nontraditional answers determines one’s creativity score.

Results of this study showed that divergent thinking in people with bipolar I and II was linked to gray matter volume in the right medial frontal gyrus. It is crucial to acknowledge that patients in this study were taking a variety of medication: mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants-all of which could have tampered with the result. Nonetheless, the results are important in indicating the significant role the medial prefrontal cortex plays in creative thinking in people with bipolar as opposed to the more distributed neuroanatomical pattern for creative people without bipolar disorder (Tu et al.,2017).

While more extensive research needs to be conducted to understand the extent and depth of creativity’s correlation with bipolar disease, these two studies highlight a definite link between them. Given this knowledge, how does one go about treatment? The implications of treatment, such as potentially stunting creativity, may affect whether an artist decides to accept it. These insights will most importantly lead to more ethical debates and a greater understanding of neuroanatomical overlaps, especially in regards to mood, emotions, and capabilities. Perhaps, the creatives of the future will not have to suffer to Van Gogh’s magnitude.

References:

Burkhardt, Eva & Pfennig, Andrea & Breitling, Gwendolin & Pfeiffer, Steffi & Sauer, Cathrin & Bechdolf, Andreas & U. Correll, Christoph & Bauer, Michael & Leopold, Karolina. (2018). Creativity in persons at-risk for bipolar disorder-A pilot study. Early Intervention in Psychiatry. 10.

De Caroli, Maria & Sagone, Elisabetta. (2009). Creative thinking and Big Five factors of personality measured in Italian school children. Psychological reports. 105.

Glück, Judith & Polacsek-Ernst, Roland & Unger, Floortje. (2002). How Creatives Define Creativity: Definitions Reflect Different Types of Creativity. Creativity Research Journal, v.14, 55-67 (2002). 14.

Tu, Pei-Chi & Kuan, Yi-Hsuan & Li, Cheng-Ta & Su, Tung-Ping. (2017). Structural Correlates of Creative Thinking in Patients With Bipolar Disorder and Healthy Controls—a Voxel-Based Morphometry Study. Journal of Affective Disorders. 215.

During my leisurely walk in Arles, away from the hustle bustle of Paris, I came across several different spots where Van Gogh had painted works of art that are now world renowned. Van Gogh was extremely productive during his stay at Arles and he felt so inspired that he created around 300 paintings and drawings there. During my walk with a group of friends, I had mostly anticipated seeing certain spots where several tourists can be found.

Figure 1: The famous Café Van Gogh in Arles, France

Figure 2: Yummy strawberry sorbet

However, when we were exploring the less frequented streets of Arles, not only did I come across an amazing home-made sorbet shop, I came across this sign that caught my attention:

Figure 3: “La main qui pense” sign in Arles

“La main qui pense” translates to “The hand that thinks”. In my neuroscience classes, I had obviously not learnt about a “thinking hand”. But after doing some research, I realized that what neuroscientific/neuropsychological research has to say about the connection between the brain and the hand, actually could explain what it means for “a hand to think” but not in the most “obvious” way.

Firstly, it is important to understand the basic neuroscience behind how the brain and the hand “communicate”. Various types of receptors that innervate our hands and fingers are able to detect a specific form of energy of a stimulus in the environment (G. Jones, 2006). The receptors convert the stimulus energy into electrical energy through a process known as sensory transduction. The receptors and an afferent neuron form what is known as a sensory unit and sensory units are activated in specific areas known as receptive fields (G. Jones, 2006). Tactile information including size, shape, temperature etc., detected by different receptors, is sent to the central nervous system (G. Jones, 2006).

But how is the signal for movement transmitted from the brain to the hand? The motor system of the brain mainly includes the premotor area, involved in planning movements and the primary motor cortex, involved in then sending commands to the spinal cord for execution of movement (Cunnington, 2016). So, the way the brain “communicates” with the muscles, is through motor neurons in the spinal cord which receive the commands from the brain, which then cause contraction and movement of the muscles needed for that particular movement (Cunnington, 2016).

But you might be wondering –  it definitely still seems that the brain is doing the “thinking”… After doing a bit more research, it started to become clearer to me what some researchers meant by “thinking with your hands”.

For artists including Van Gogh, their job involved heavy usage of their hands. Many of us, on the other hand, like to think of our jobs as mind intensive rather than labor intensive. And there is no denying that there is some superiority associated with mind intensive jobs. But where does this belief stem from? Dr. Gaëlle Vallée-Tourangeau and Dr. Frédéric Vallée-Tourangeau highlight that while children are learning, teachers encourage the use of props and in the elderly, props are used to evaluate memory loss (Vallée-Tourangeau, G., & Vallée-Tourangeau, F., 2016c).  But during the time between these two stages, we are often judged for using our hands. Children are expected to do “mental math” and are told to just “do it in their heads”. I distinctly remember hiding my fingers behind my back while doing calculations. Our assumption is that the brain is the source of any and all intelligence (Vallée-Tourangeau, G., & Vallée-Tourangeau, F., 2016c).

This assumption is in line with the evidence found within neuroscience research. Mirror neurons in the brain fire when an animal acts and when the animal sees someone else executing the same action. Researchers including Frédéric Vallée-Tourangeau and Gaëlle Vallée-Tourangeau believe that physically interacting with objects as compared to simply playing out an action in one’s head could more positively impact behavior and actions (Vallée-Tourangeau, G., & Vallée-Tourangeau, F., 2016c).

The study conducted by Vallée-Tourangeau et al. (2016a), consisted of 50 participants trying to find a way to put 17 animals in four pens such that each pen had an odd number of animals. One group of participants used electronic tablets and a stylus to draw the solution and the other group had to use props to physically create a model. The study suggests that irrespective of cognitive ability, the participants using their hands to build models had more success with the task compared to those using the tablets and stylus. Overall, the study suggests that physically interacting with the environment around us can prove even more beneficial than drawing.

Figure 4: One solution was to create overlapping pens for the 17 animals

To further investigate their hypothesis, Vallée-Tourangeau et al. (2016b) conducted another study in which participants were asked to do long sums while repeating a word (Vallée-Tourangeau et al., 2016b). The study suggested that the participants who used number tokens (“high interactivity”) to work out the sums were less affected by the distractor as compared to those who were working out the sums mentally, who showed higher levels of mathematics anxiety (Vallée-Tourangeau et al., 2016b). Further emphasizing that the importance of physically interacting with the environment and using sense of touch cannot be underestimated. Therefore, researchers  like to metaphorically say that the hand “thinks” too.

Juhani Pallasmaa, the author of the book titled The Thinking Hand: Existential and Embodied Wisdom in Architecture, believed that “it is by permanently mobilizing our five senses that the body becomes our own tool for perceiving the world, and it is only through a unity of body and mind that the act of creation can take place” (Acte Sud).

So perhaps Van Gogh had it right. Van Gogh may have been using art as an outlet of his emotions. Or perhaps, engaging his hands while painting and drawing facilitated his thought process. While Van Gogh was suffering through psychiatric illness, it is possible that painting and drawing helped him gain clarity, even though it may have been fleeting.

References

Acte Sud. « La main qui pense ». Retrieved June 10, 2019, from https://www.actes-sud.fr/catalogue/architecture-et-urbanisme/toucher-le-monde 

Cunnington, Ross. “How our brain controls movement and makes new connections when parts are damaged” The Conversation, 28 September 2016, https://theconversation.com/how-our-brain-controls-movement-and-makes-new-connections-when-parts-are-damaged-63520

Fernandes, M. A., Wammes, J. D., & Meade, M. E. (2018). The Surprisingly Powerful Influence of Drawing on Memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(5), 302–308. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721418755385

G. Jones, Edward. (2006). The sensory hand. Brain. 129. 10.1093/brain/awl308.

Vallée-Tourangeau, F., Steffensen, S. V., Vallée-Tourangeau, G., & Sirota, M. (2016a). Insight with hands and things. Acta Psychologica, 170, 195–205. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2016.08.006

Vallée-Tourangeau, F., Sirota, M., & Vallée-Tourangeau, G. (2016b). Interactivity mitigates the impact of working memory depletion on mental arithmetic performance. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 1(1), 26. doi:10.1186/s41235-016-0027-2

Vallée-Tourangeau, G., & Vallée-Tourangeau, F. “Why the best problem-solvers think with their hands, as well as their heads” The Conversation, 10 November 2016c, https://theconversation.com/why-the-best-problem-solvers-think-with-their-hands-as-well-as-their-heads-68360

Figures 1, 2 and 3 – Images taken by me in Arles

Figure 4 – Overlapping pens solution, Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/our-innovating-minds/201701/creative-thinking-in-action

“I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.”  This quote, attributed to the painter Vincent van Gogh embodies both the beauty displayed in his paintings and the presumed mental illness he suffered during his life.  While the iconic swirls and visual auras of the former have fascinated museum-goers and art collectors alike, the enigmatic nature of the latter has also stupefied art historians and other curious academics

The subject of mental health is quite prevalent in my life.  Both of my parents are mental health professionals who have dealt with severely mentally ill patients, with conditions similar to that of van Gogh, and their passion for the human mind has inspired me to want to pursue a career in the field.  Thus, it was of great excitement to me when, one day, in class we discussed the apparent severe mental illness of Vincent van Gogh.  We were able to further immerse ourselves into his life when our class took a trip to the south of France and visited the town of Arles, where van Gogh’s infamous ear incident took place.  These experiences encouraged me to think about what illness actually ailed the iconic man.

A few classmates and I at a recreation of the cafe Vincent van Gogh was known to frequent in Arles

While it is impossible to retroactively diagnose someone with a mental illness, it is a popular opinion among scholars that Vincent van Gogh suffered from manic depression, or bipolar disorder, as it is known today (Wolf, 2001).  Much of the evidence for this possible diagnosis comes via letters between Vincent van Gogh, his brother, Theo, and his sister, Wilhelmina (Blumner, 2002).  In a letter to his sister, Theo described Vincent as seeming, “as if he were two persons … with arguments on both sides” (Blumner, 2002).  Later, Vincent complained to his brother about his “heightened emotionality” and increasing reliance on alcohol to dull “the storm within” (Blumner, 2002).  Vincent also noted “horrible fits of anxiety” and attacks of “melancholy and atrocious remorse” which would be followed by “enthusiasm or madness or prophecy, like a Greek oracle on the tripod,” in letters to his brother (Blumner, 2002).  The mental turmoil that Vincent noted in his letters culminated in an acute psychotic episode in which he sliced off a section of his left ear lobe and presented the piece to a prostitute (Blumner, 2002).  During this episode, van Gogh experienced hallucinations and delusions, which required a multi-day stay in solitary confinement (Blumner, 2002).

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear- Vincent van Gogh: This work by van Gogh was painted shortly after the severed part of his left ear during a psychotic episode

Both van Gogh’s description of his condition in notes to his brother and his subsequent psychotic episode are potentially indicative of bipolar disorder.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health bipolar disorder is characterized by “periods of unusually intense emotion” (NIMH).  These periods of emotion usually oscillate between manic episodes and depressive episodes.  Van Gogh’s description of periods of increased enthusiasm is consistent with mania, while his feelings of extreme melancholy are consistent with depression.  Additionally, bipolar patients often present with other illnesses such as anxiety disorder and substance abuse (NIMH).  Van Gogh experienced extreme levels of anxiety and he was a known to frequently have “a glass too much” of absinthe (Blumner, 2002).  Occasionally, patients experiencing severe bipolar disorder can exhibit psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations or delusions, as van Gogh did during the incident in which he severed his ear (NIMH).

Another key facet of bipolar disorder, as noted by the National Institute of Mental Health is its genetic risk factor (NIMH).  In class, we discussed the prevalence of mental illnesses, specifically schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, in the van Gogh family.  There appears to be a strong presence of mental illness in the van Gogh family; however, there are no reported cases of bipolar disorder.  How then, could Vincent van Gogh appear to have suffered from a disease that no one else in his family had?

While there are no explicit cases of bipolar disorder in his family, there is a strong genetic link between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; in fact, heritability estimates of the disorders are estimated to between 60 and 80 percent (Nöthen et al., 2010).  In 2017, the Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium published a large-scale investigation into the genetic markers of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.  This study, which examined genomic data from over 53,000 individuals with either bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, identified 114 locations in the human genome as risk factors for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (Ruderfer et al., 2017).

In addition to the genetic risk factors identified in both bipolar and schizophrenic patients, the study produced another, extremely novel, finding.  Instead of comparing only patients with bipolar disorder to patients with schizophrenia, the researchers compared data from schizophrenic patients to two subpopulations of bipolar patients: those that presented psychotic symptoms and those that did not (Ruderfer et al., 2017).  Through this comparison, the researchers concluded that bipolar patients with psychosis are significantly more like to possess genetic risk factors associated with schizophrenia than bipolar patients without psychosis (Ruderfer, 2018).  This genetic overlap between bipolar disorder patients with psychosis and schizophrenic patients could serve to provide the seemingly missing link in the mental illnesses attributed to the van Gogh family.

To me, it is a stark, yet beautiful, reality that such a creative and influential person as Vincent van Gogh potentially suffered from a disease a debilitating as bipolar disorder.  I think that my experience in both traveling to Arles and researching van Gogh’s mental health gave me a greater appreciation of the fact that people’s illnesses do not need to define them.  The human brain, in all its diversity, is capable of creating masterworks, even in the most unlikely of places.

References

Blumer, D. (2002). The Illness of Vincent van Gogh. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159(4), 519-526. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.159.4.519

NIMH » Bipolar Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml

Ruderfer, D., Sklar, P., & Kendler, K. (2017). Genomic dissection of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia including 28 subphenotypes. doi:10.1101/173435

Ruderfer, D. (2018, October 17). A Revealing Genetic Comparison of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.bbrfoundation.org/content/revealing-genetic-comparison-schizophrenia-and-bipolar-disorder

Wolf, P. (2001). Creativity and chronic disease Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). Western Journal of Medicine, 175(5), 348-348. doi:10.1136/ewjm.175.5.348