Many of the topics that bloggers tackle here at Psychology Today assume a basic understanding of the human brain. If you'd like to improve your neuro-awareness, there are worse things you could do than spend an afternoon engaging with this remarkable organ at the American Museum of Natural History's "Brain: The Inside Story."
All Summer Long
If your travels take you anywhere near New York City between now and August 14, this smart and interactive exhibit should be on your itinerary. Middle schoolers (or very curious elementary school students) up to graduate students will find something worthwhile here.
Curators Rob DeSalle, Joy Hirsch, and Margaret Zellner have put together a walk-through of the human nervous system (from the neck up) that includes a few Aha! moments without stooping to silly tricks. The overall experience is that of a brief punchy textbook (kind of like those little pocket texts designed for medical students to carry around in their white coats) which has come to life.
Santa Land of the Brain
You know how sometimes you'll walk into a museum and you're not sure where to start or what to take in first? Well, "Brain: The Inside Story" is nothing like that. The meandering walkway took me from fact-filled poster to blinking image to interactive brain-task. It reminded me of nothing so much as my magical childhood walks through Santa's Land at Goldsmith's, the Memphis department store. As your eyes adjust to the dim light in the exhibit's entry, Daniel Canogar's light- and sound-sculpture (entitled "Synaptic Passage") crackles and twinkles to generate the impression that you are now wending your way through a busy tangle of electrically engaged neurons.
Anyone who's leafed through a neurology text will be familiar with the comically misshapen homunculus illustrating the cortical representation of sensory and motor functions. But you might never have seen a fully human size homunculus before this exhibit!
Which is "kiki" and which is "booba"?
A discussion of synesthesia invites you to consider the subtler versions of the condition which might in fact be common in the population. The fact that many people perceive words themselves to have a textural or sensory quality, for example, is suggestive of "normal" synesthesia. Which of the shapes in this picture is likely named "
kiki" (a sharp word), and which is named "
booba" (a soft word)?
Tripartate Brain
An interesting heuristic device in the exhibit's organization is the tripartite organization of neurological sophistication. The elements of the "reptilian brain" as described in the exhibit include the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and brainstem. The more sophisticated "mammalian brain" includes the limbic system, amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and cingulated cortex. The "higher functioning" and specifically human areas are described as the Wernicke's and Broca's language cortex and the prefrontal cortex - home of functions we frequently reference in my postings in this blog - functions such as response inhibition, planning, and time- and mood-management.
There's a good but brief overview of the impact of caffeine and other drugs on brain function, and a nod to the role of dopamine in psychotic disorders. Overall, neurotransmitters and the chemistry of brain function get the short shrift in this exhibit. It's more about parts (anatomy) and function.
Puts the Fun in Function
And it's this theme - function - which the curators handle particularly well. Like an interactive demonstration of language acquisition with a kid-level screen and microphone as well as a big-person level set-up. Both were occupied by eager museum goers most of the time I was there last Thursday.
Although you probably have more sophisticated "brain-train" type games on your phone, it's still fun to sit at one of three stations and test your visual-scanning skill and speed. What the exhibit offers over your phone app is a context for understanding these brain skills. And the exhibit does a good job throughout emphasizing the connectivity of brain anatomy - the key understanding for any student of neuroscience that none of these brain bits function in isolation.
There are other interactive exhibits to elucidate some basic concepts of visual function and motor planning (you know that thing where you try to trace a star by following the reverse image in a mirror? It never fails to freak me out!).
As a way of presenting the neurological underpinnings of short-and long-term memory, the "Brain" exhibit uses the example of London cab drivers who are famous for their recall for complex topographical information.
Neuropsychologists will recognize some of their beloved testing approaches in the exhibit, too. A "tower of London" type task allows attendees to consider the complexity of human planning and problem solving. And a Stroop type task gives a felt experience of what Dr. Russell Barkley and others call "inhibition of prepotent response."
While some of the antiquated dioramas and stuffed animals at the Museum may fail to inspire, the Brain exhibit feels fresh and fun. Anyone in possession of a human brain will likely leave a bit prouder of that ownership.
The Tour Ends in the...
Like all tours, this one ends in the gift shop. What great stuff they've got in there - puzzles and brain-themed toys and books.
And here's a tip: use the kiosks lining the walls to buy your tickets. Why is anybody queuing up in those lines?
photo: www.amnh.org
