Creativity

Its nearly a year since I started this blog with the grand ambition of making it a shared platform for anyone whose life had been touched by Parkinson's. I was thrilled that several people accepted my invitation to contribute and I'm very grateful to Linda and Tricia who were generous enough to submit their respective stories [1, 2] which you can still read today. My host site, Blogger, makes it possible to create a shared blog along those lines but I hadn't realised how complicated that process was. If there is anyone who would still like to contribute, I'd be delighted to help with that but I appreciate why the complexity is off-putting.

I was reminded this week of something that Linda wrote on the Facebook group where I met her around the time when all this started. In one thread she said that she believed that Parkinson's had brought out a creative streak in her. My initial response was to question how a degenerative neurological condition could improve some forms of cognition but over the year I have gradually come around to Linda's idea.

There has been some discussion in recent years about neurogenesis, the idea that neuron cells may be able to regenerate. This would seem to contradict earlier evidence and most neurologists are yet to be convinced. If it can be shown to be a genuine phenomenon, it would be in a much more limited capacity than normal cell division. It is one of the factors that makes the condition so difficult to treat. In a Parkinson's brain, α-synuclein proteins form clusters (Lewy bodies) around neurons, inhibiting the cell repair of that cell. When we consider the idea of a finite number of neurons dwindling as Lewy bodies starve them of vital repairs, it is difficult to imagine how this could result in a post PD diagnosis creative flourish. 

Personal experience tells me that this is not the whole picture though. I have noticed improved dexterity on my left side that goes a little way towards compensating for the reduction in dexterity on my right for instance. I have seen that exercise also has a role to play. At the Sport Parkinsons Try-athlon, it was incredible to see the transformation in people's movement when they had a ball at their feet. 

Brain function is a difficult thing to map. My understanding is that there isn't a single region that controls our legs for example. MRI scans would probably show different areas lighting up when we think about walking than when we think about kicking a ball which could explain the improvement in our movement when we took to the football field.

I wonder if my improved motor skills on my left side are an example of neuroplasticity which Oxford Reference define as:

the ability of the brain to develop new neurons and/or new synapses in response to stimulation and learning. Recent research shows that the brain retains its plasticity throughout life, more or less, depending on the person’s state of health, etc. Following injury to the brain, neuroplasticity may allow uninjured areas to take over the processes previously carried out by the injured areas.

The idea that people with a dominant right hemisphere are more creative is a bit of a myth but as different areas of the brain become active it seems plausible that its neurons may form different connections in a way that promotes creativity.

Since I read Linda's comment, I feel like I have had a more creative period than at any other point of my life. There is this blog, of course, if you consider that to be creative and I've also become a bit obsessive about photography. I estimate that I have taken around 8000 photos in the past year. My tremor leads to mixed results which has led me to experiment with filters and colour transformations to try and abstract away the imperfections. I was happy enough with the results of some of those experiments to tentatively submit them to the Parkinson's Art web site and I am hugely grateful to them and proud to say that they have created a page for those pictures. I'm not going to win any competitions or anything but I enjoyed the experience of creating the images and it is very rewarding to be able to share them.

The stated mission of Parkinson's Art is:

To inspire and develop creativity across the Parkinson's community.

I encourage you to visit their site where you will see the work of some truly talented artists (and me) that give ample evidence that they are meeting that brief and much more.

Although neuroplasticity may be a factor in this burst of creativity, in my case at least, I think that there is another, more significant factor. Compulsive behaviour is both a symptom of the condition and a side effect of most of the medication used to treat Parkinson's. Whenever I post a link to one of these entries, I fretfully check for comments or likes and then frequently leave the group where I posted it, convinced that I've made a fool of myself. I was talking to my wife about this destructive tendency recently and she said "Its all compulsive behaviour: Facebook, your blog, your photography." She is almost certainly right, after all, she is in a better position to judge than anyone. Perhaps that feeling of compulsion has helped me follow up on what would have normally remained unrealised ambitions floating around my consciousness.