Unlocking the Muse: Artistic Creativity&Parkinson´s Disease

How does an artist make art? How is the artistic spark anchored in the brain? Why does Parkinson`s disease possibly have an answer to this? And how can creative work and art help to support patients with Parkinson`s disease? An international consortium of art researchers and neuroscientists (PI Matthew Pelowski, Co- PIs Julia S. Crone & Blanca T. M. Spee), physicians (leading Parkinson specialist Bastiaan R. Bloem) and art therapists (social partner Ellis Schoonhoven "de Nieuwe Creatieven") have come together to pool their expertise in the unique #ConnectingMinds Workshop. With this workshop, the consortium will launch a transdisciplinary project under the umbrella of "Unlocking the Muse" that connects two on the first sight very distinct areas: the creative, artistic brain and Parkinson`s disease. The approach to combine clinical science and art research is based on the idea that, on the one hand, artistic creation is an essential component of human communication with high importance for culture and psychology but also for neuroscience. On the other hand, over the past twenty years, doctors and researchers have reported on case studies demonstrating that creative aspectspropensity, interest, even abilitymay change in patients with Parkinson`s disease. The underlying reasons for these changes are still elusive, as are answers to Parkinson`s disease itself, the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease worldwide. The consortium of "Unlocking the Muse" will promote the dialogue between research and social stakeholders. We will organize multiple workshop sessions in which researchers and physicians will develop clear research questions and agree on technologies to stimulate the creative brain in both, the healthy and changed brain. One session will draw on the experience of therapists and patients with Parkinson`s disease to develop creative art therapies in coordination with our social partner and guests focusing on art therapy and health. A major goal of the consortium is to launch both this research program and the establishment of a specialized therapy center in Austria (Vienna), ParkinsonNet, which is already successfully optimizing patient treatment in the Netherlands through a multidisciplinary therapy setting. The main focus here is clearly on capacity building and education of all parties involved. The Workshop will promote the dialogue enabling the development of tangible innovative, multi- and transdisciplinary work packages for the #ConnectingMinds full proposal, which will perfectly capture the synergy of combined forces as part of the project "Unlocking the Muse".