Summary Functional near-infrared spectroscopy assessment of reward perception based on visual self-expression: Coloring, doodling, and free drawing - ScienceDirect www.sciencedirect.com
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The study found that visual art tasks such as coloring, doodling, and free drawing activate the medial prefrontal cortex and reward pathways in the brain, indicating potential clinical applications for improving cognitive function and emotional well-being through art-making.
Key Points
- Visual art tasks, including coloring, doodling, and free drawing, activate the medial prefrontal cortex and related reward pathways in the brain, potentially improving mood and self-perceptions of creativity.
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive tool used to monitor neural activity in response to cognitive tasks and stimuli.
- Doodling can engage the reward perception mechanism in an accessible way for both artists and non-artists.
- Art-making has been found to reduce cortisol levels, induce meditative states, and activate the reward circuitry.
- Further research is needed to better understand the specific ways in which art-making is perceived and its potential therapeutic applications.
Summaries
257 word summary
This chapter explores the relationship between neuroscience and art therapy and the role of art-making in improving cognitive function and emotional well-being. It provides references related to functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and its applications in studying brain activity during various activities, including art-making and reward perception. The chapter also discusses the value of doodling as an emancipatory method to enhance mixed methods research studies. A pilot study using fNIRS found that coloring, doodling, and free drawing all activate the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and related reward pathways in the brain, suggesting that art-making can evoke positive experiences and improve self-perceptions of creativity. However, the study had limitations, including a small sample size and limited time frame for each condition. Further research is needed to better understand the specific ways in which art-making is perceived. This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess reward perception based on visual self-expression. Participants engaged in three visual art tasks: coloring, doodling, and free drawing, each lasting three minutes with two-minute rest periods in between. The study found that all three visual art tasks resulted in significant activation of the medial prefrontal cortex, indicating potential clinical applications of reward perception through art making. Visual forms of self-expression, such as coloring, doodling, and drawing, are becoming popular among adults. Art-making has been found to reduce cortisol levels, improve mood and self-efficacy, induce meditative states and spatiotemporal processing, and activate the reward circuitry. Art imagery alone activated the reward circuitry, including the mPFC, orbitofrontal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and ventral striatum.
859 word summary
This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine differences in brain activation during varied self-expressions of visual art, including coloring, doodling, and free drawing. The study found that all three visual art tasks resulted in significant activation of the medial prefrontal cortex, indicating potential clinical applications of reward perception through art making. Participants improved in their self-perceptions of problem solving and having good ideas. The study suggests clinical implications for disorders related to pleasure seeking behaviors. Visual forms of self-expression, such as coloring, doodling, and drawing, are becoming popular among adults. Doodling may trigger arousal and stabilize it at an optimal level by reducing boredom and daydreaming, while coloring inside a mandala is more effective in mood enhancement than coloring in a square. Art-making has been found to reduce cortisol levels, improve mood and self-efficacy, induce meditative states and spatiotemporal processing, and activate the reward circuitry. Comparing the brain activity of emotionally primed participants with portrait art and those who were not, art imagery alone activated the reward circuitry, including the mPFC, orbitofrontal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and ventral striatum. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive tool used to monitor neural activity in response to cognitive tasks, stimuli, and language processing. It measures changes in tissue oxygenation in the outer cortex regions using near-infrared light. fNIRS has been applied in a wide range of disciplines and populations and has the advantage of being usable and adaptable to measuring brain responses to activities while they are occurring. The study aimed to assess reward perception through measuring the mPFC response during three forms of visual self-expression: coloring, doodling, and free drawing. The study found that the mPFC region is associated with social cognition, long-term memory processing, and emotional processing. Participants engaged in three visual self-expression conditions: coloring, doodling, and free drawing, each lasting three minutes with two-minute rest periods in between. The study utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology to image brain activity. This study used surveys and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess reward perception based on visual self-expression. A five-item questionnaire was used to rate participants' perceptions of their creative self-efficacy. The fNIRS data analysis focused on activation of the left dorsomedial PFC. Hemodynamic changes were calculated using the modified Beer-Lambert law. Raw fNIRS data were low-pass filtered and monitored using a continuous wave fNIR device model 1000. Participants were compensated $10 for their participation.
The study found that doodling can engage the reward perception mechanism in an accessible way for artists and non-artists alike, while free drawing did not evoke a distinct response. The study also found that self-perceptions of creativity can shift in just 15 minutes of creative activity, which could have implications for empowering individuals to shift their self-perceptions of creative abilities and problem-solving. The study highlights the challenges of defining and assessing creativity as any one single construct. The sample used in this pilot study is small, and any conclusions must be drawn with caution. A pilot study using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) found that coloring, doodling, and free drawing all activate the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and related reward pathways in the brain. This suggests that art-making can evoke positive experiences and improve self-perceptions of creativity, potentially making it a replacement for other activities that activate reward pathways. However, the study had limitations, including a small sample size and limited time frame for each condition. Further research is needed to better understand the specific ways in which art-making is perceived. The study also highlights the potential benefits of art therapy as a way to regulate mood. The text also includes lists of references to academic articles related to the topics of art therapy, creativity, and neuroimaging, providing a starting point for further research on the intersection of art, creativity, and neuroscience. The article provides a list of references related to functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and its applications in studying brain activity during various activities, including art-making and reward perception. The studies suggest that art can be a useful tool for improving cognitive function and emotional well-being. Another section reports on a one-year follow-up study of participants from an art therapy pain protocol study, identifying potential therapeutic memory reconsolidation (MR) change factors. The article also highlights the value of doodling as an emancipatory method to enhance mixed methods research studies. Approaches to research in art therapy have expanded from case studies to empirical studies and community-based research. The chapter provides different ways art therapy supports mental health and mental health recovery, and information about art therapy for specific disorders and in different settings. Another study found that doodling had the highest average measured blood flow increase in the brain's reward pathway. An article recommends a right-sized, arts-based, portable informal self-compassion exercise for busy healthcare professionals. This chapter delves into the relationship between neuroscience and art therapy, examining the origins of art and providing an overview of the nervous system, neurons, and the brain. It also explores how visual information is processed by the brain and integrated with other sensory, emotional, and memory systems. The chapter emphasizes the importance of transdisciplinary knowledge and highlights the central role of art-making in art therapy.
2137 word summary
This chapter discusses the intersections between neuroscience and art therapy. It explores how and why humans began making art, and the basics of the nervous system, neurons, and the brain. The process of how visual information is received by the eye, interpreted by the brain, and integrated with other sensory, emotional, and memory systems is also explored. The chapter demonstrates the power of transdisciplinary knowledge and provides a multilayered approach that explores why humans make art and why art-making is central in art therapy. Approaches to research in art therapy have expanded from case studies to empirical studies and community-based research. A chapter defines mental illness and presents historical connections between art and mental illness. The chapter also provides different ways art therapy supports mental health and mental health recovery, and information about art therapy for specific disorders and in different settings. Another study found that doodling had the highest average measured blood flow increase in the brain's reward pathway. An article recommends a right-sized, arts-based, portable informal self-compassion exercise for busy healthcare professionals. This article reports on a one-year follow-up study of participants from an art therapy pain protocol study, identifying potential therapeutic memory reconsolidation (MR) change factors. Positive outcomes included less physiological pain, psychological and skill-based changes in pain, and more access to coping resources. Art therapy-based MR change factors were identified, including creative processes and protocol sequencing. The article also highlights the value of doodling as an emancipatory method to enhance mixed methods research studies, drawing from a study on covert bullying among high school students in Jamaica. Lessons learned and recommendations are provided for the applicability of doodling within mixed methods studies in various fields. The article cites several related studies on the brain's processing and representational perspectives, the effects of coloring mandalas on anxiety, and exploring the brain network using resting-state fMRI functional connectivity. This is a list of references from various scientific articles and journals related to the topic of using art as a means of improving cognitive function. The studies cover areas such as the relationship between creative self-efficacy and performance, the potential for combining virtual reality, neuromodulation, and neuroimaging for neurorehabilitation, the benefits of drawing in reducing negative mood, and the neural structures involved in art perception and production. The studies suggest that art can be a useful tool for improving cognitive function and emotional well-being. This is a list of references related to functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and its applications in studying brain activity during various activities, including art-making and reward perception. The studies include a preliminary qEEG study comparing brain activity during drawing and clay sculpting, as well as research on the reduction of cortisol levels and changes in affect and self-efficacy following art-making. Other studies explore the role of the prefrontal cortex in memory, decision making, and early social cognition, as well as the brain's specialized systems for aesthetic and perceptual judgment. The references also include a brief history of fNIRS development and fields of application, and a study on the cortical correlates of auditory sensory gating. This text excerpt contains a list of references to academic articles related to the topics of art therapy, creativity, and neuroimaging. The articles cover a range of subjects, including the effects of art-making on mood, prefrontal cortex function, EEG and neuroimaging studies of creativity, and the use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a biomarker of treatment response in addiction therapy. One article specifically explores the effects of drawing on alpha activity in the brain, with potential implications for art therapy. Another article compares the use of fNIRS and fMRI in multiple cognitive tasks. The references provide a starting point for further research on the intersection of art, creativity, and neuroscience. This text excerpt consists of a list of references and acknowledgments related to functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) research, including studies on reward perception, creativity, emotional priming, mandala creation, brain monitoring, and stress signaling pathways. The authors thank the Drexel University Office of Faculty Development and Equity for funding support and individuals who assisted with the study and manuscript. This pilot study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure brain activation in response to three creative self-expression conditions: coloring, doodling, and free drawing. The study found that all three conditions activated the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), with doodling resulting in the highest activation. The study suggests that art-making can evoke reward pathways and improve self-perceptions of creative abilities. However, the study had limitations, including a small sample size and a limited time frame for each condition. Further research is needed to better understand the specific ways in which art-making is perceived. The study also highlights the potential benefits of art therapy as a way to regulate mood. A study examined the potential of visual self-expression, specifically coloring, doodling, and free drawing, to activate the reward pathways in the brain. Results showed that all drawing conditions activated the mPFC and related reward pathway, indicating that artistic expression can be a positive experience even if practiced for a short time. Participants reported improvements in self-perceptions of creativity and problem solving, suggesting a simple way to enhance perceptions of creativity in individuals. The potential differences in activation of the reward pathways differed for artists and non-artists, which suggests that art therapists should consider sensitivity around the reward pathways. Drawing itself evokes memories for participants, and further research is needed to better understand the interaction of emotion, reward perception, and visual self-expression. The study did not find any significant differences between artists and non-artists, which indicates the potential for all participants to enjoy positive experiences from visual self-expression. The findings suggest that art could potentially be a replacement for other activities that activate reward pathways such as addictive behaviors and eating disorders. Further research is needed to make conclusive clinical recommendations. This study explores the perception of reward generated by art-making and self-expression through coloring, doodling, and free drawing. The study found that doodling can engage the reward perception mechanism in an accessible way for artists and non-artists alike, while free drawing did not evoke a distinct response. The study also found that self-perceptions of creativity can shift in just 15 minutes of creative activity, which could have implications for empowering individuals to shift their self-perceptions of creative abilities and problem-solving. The study highlights the challenges of defining and assessing creativity as any one single construct. The sample used in this pilot study is small, and any conclusions must be drawn with caution. A pilot study found that creative self-expression activities, including coloring, doodling, and free drawing, activated the mPFC and reward pathway differently from other conditions, with doodling showing the most activation. Self-perceptions of creativity improved after completing the art-making tasks. Responses about the experience were mostly positive but some participants found aspects limiting. Brain activation varied between artists and non-artists, with both groups having similar activation during free drawing but artists showing more activation during coloring. Overall, doodling and free drawing resulted in increased brain activation compared to coloring. A study using functional near-infrared spectroscopy found that there may be a difference in reward perception between artists and non-artists during coloring, but not doodling or free-drawing. Doodling resulted in the highest blood oxygenation levels. Activation on optode 7 was higher during creative self-expression conditions compared to rest conditions. The study sample included 11 artists and 15 non-artists, and participants were asked about their prior experience with visual self-expression or art making. Narrative responses about experiences were summarized using thematic analysis. This study used surveys and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess reward perception based on visual self-expression. A five-item questionnaire was used to rate participants' perceptions of their creative self-efficacy. The fNIRS data analysis focused on activation of the left dorsomedial PFC. Hemodynamic changes were calculated using the modified Beer-Lambert law. Raw fNIRS data were low-pass filtered and monitored using a continuous wave fNIR device model 1000. Participants were compensated $10 for their participation. Participants engaged in three visual self-expression conditions: coloring, doodling, and free drawing, each lasting three minutes with two-minute rest periods in between. Prior to the session, participants completed a survey on self-perceptions of creativity and were asked about their prior experience with art. They were given art materials to use during the session and were offered the option of taking their drawings with them. The study included a presession survey, the three visual self-expression conditions, four rest conditions, and a postsession survey, which took approximately 20 minutes and utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology to image brain activity. Only right-handed participants were included to control for variations due to hand use. The study recruited healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 70 to participate in a pre-post quasi-experimental design. The aim was to assess reward perception through measuring the mPFC response during three forms of visual self-expression: coloring, doodling, and free drawing. The hypothesis was that free drawing would evoke the most reward activation compared to the other two forms. The study was approved by the university's institutional review board. The main hypothesis guiding the study was that the free-drawing form of self-expression would evoke the most reward activation compared to the other two forms. The study found that the mPFC region is associated with social cognition, long-term memory processing, and emotional processing. fNIRS has been used to examine people with varied conditions such as mood disorders and Alzheimer's disease. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive and affordable tool used to monitor neural activity in response to cognitive tasks, motor tasks, stimuli, and language processing. It measures changes in tissue oxygenation in the outer cortex regions using near-infrared light with spectroscopy principles. Hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier in red blood cells, presents a differential absorption in the near-infrared wavelengths based on whether it is bonded to oxygen, allowing detection of changes in concentration of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin molecules. fNIRS has been applied in a wide range of disciplines, topics, and populations, including clinical or laboratory settings. It has been shown to be complementary with event-related EEG potentials and highly correlated with fMRI measurements. fNIRS has the advantage of being usable and adaptable to measuring brain responses to activities while they are occurring, either in the natural environment or under everyday field conditions. The typical fNIRS unit is composed of light sources and photodetectors mounted on a flexible sensor band that can be worn as a headpiece. Light sources are made up of either LEDs or fiberoptic bundles, while photodetectors detect the light that is transmitted through the tissue. Baseline measurements are taken, followed by continuous, real-time measurements at predetermined time intervals. Although there are a variety of possible placements, near-infrared light is most commonly placed over the scalp. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a noninvasive, safe, and portable imaging method that detects blood flow activity in the human prefrontal cortex. Doodling may trigger arousal and stabilize it at an optimal level by reducing boredom and daydreaming, while coloring inside a mandala is more effective in mood enhancement than coloring in a square. Art-making has been found to reduce cortisol levels, improve mood and self-efficacy, induce meditative states and spatiotemporal processing, and activate the reward circuitry. Comparing the brain activity of emotionally primed participants with portrait art and those who were not, art imagery alone activated the reward circuitry, including the mPFC, orbitofrontal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and ventral striatum. There are no studies on fNIRS and art-making, but some exploratory studies have examined patterns in electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings and drawing. Visual forms of self-expression, such as coloring, doodling, and drawing, are becoming popular among adults. This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine differences in brain activation during varied self-expressions of visual art. The study found that visual art production results in stronger brain connectivity than cognitive art evaluation or viewing art. Passive engagement in art affects the prefrontal cortex. Drawing observed pictures activates ventral and lateral occipital areas. Producing art improves white matter in several brain areas. Being able to draw from observation is associated with an increase in gray matter density in the left anterior frontal gyrus. The study highlights the differences in brain activation and perceived rewards of engaging visual expression. This pilot study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine brain activation during three distinct drawing tasks: coloring, doodling, and free drawing. The study found that all three visual art tasks resulted in significant activation of the medial prefrontal cortex, indicating potential clinical applications of reward perception through art making. Differences were seen between artists and non-artists for coloring and doodling. Participants improved in their self-perceptions of problem solving and having good ideas. The study suggests clinical implications for disorders related to pleasure seeking behaviors. Further study with varied art media and longer time on tasks are needed to determine potential interactions between participants backgrounds and reward activation.