Brains, The Beatles, Television & Art

What a great start to fall term!

And what a joy to teach where where art matters, interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged, and people appreciate brains, art and students going places to listen, learn and collaborate with others!

IT WASN’T ALWAYS THIS WAY (#gowhereyouarevalued) 🥴: BioGifting Brains

Let Knowledge Serve

This fall we dove back into spacious, in person classrooms at Portland State University for lively student discussions of neuroscience research, bioethics, confirmation bias, sensation and perception, science history and the physiological structures, systems and networks that drive it all.

Brains, Drugs – and The Beatles?

We also heard from David Hattner, the Director of the nearly century-old Portland Youth Philharmonic, who reached out to inquire about an intriguing collaboration. He was curious about the impact of drugs on creativity and in particular on the work of John, Paul, George and Ringo. This grabbed our attention, and we collectively presented a talk on Music, Brains, Drugs & The Beatles!

“The Beatles had gone beyond comprehension. We were smoking marijuana for breakfast. We were well into marijuana and nobody could communicate with us, because we were just glazed eyes, giggling all the time.”
— John Lennon

We described the actions and effects of amphetamines, cannabinoids and psychedelics, while David explored the history, context and music of one of the most influential bands of all time at the University Club of Portland. Some terrific discussion ensued over dinner – and we heard such wonderful songs!

Many people recall the music they listened to during adolescence and young adulthood, and The Beatles clearly impacted the lives and memories of millions with a wide variety of music influenced by the cultures of the time – and perhaps also by the powerful substances they consumed.

“[LSD] went on for years. I must have had a thousand trips. I used to just eat it all the time.”
— John Lennon, 1970

LEARN MORE: Creativity, Madness and Drugs

LEARN MORE: Who remembers the Beatles? The collective memory for popular music

LEARN MORE: Lucy in the Mind of Lennon: An Empirical Analysis of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

LEARN MORE: The Beatles in life sciences: Facts and fictions

“There’s high, and there’s high, and to get really high–I mean so high that you can walk on the water, that high–that’s where I’m goin’.”
— George Harrison, 1968

Aaron Eisen, a recent PSU graduate and current nursing student at OHSU (as well as the esteemed Communications Director for Northwest Noggin) emphasized the importance of set and setting for the use of psychedelics, and answered many compelling questions from the audience.

Brains_Beatles_Music_Drugs Download

LEARN MORE: Music, Drugs, Brains & The Beatles!

Noggins on TV!

A week later we were invited to discuss TEN YEARS of ALL VOLUNTEER interdisciplinary neuroscience community engagement – how we’ve examined brains, discussed research and made art with over 55,000 people since 2012 – on the Everyday Northwest program on KOIN TV!

PSU students Britta Harbury and Bradley Marxmiller ACED an impromptu brain quiz! Host Ashley Howard asked them questions that they hear often during volunteer outreach visits to classrooms, houseless youth nonprofits, art museums, correctional facilities, Congress and pubs.

LEARN MORE: Noggin Bloggin

We are indebted to Ashley Howard and her colleagues at Everyday Northwest, Christina Williams at Portland State University for arranging this experience – and of course to Bradley and Britta for sharing their expertise and enthusiasm for neuroscience and art!

“OMG, you guys were amazing! We loved having you on! Feel free to come back whenever you want!!”
— Ashley Howard, Producer and Host, Everyday Northwest

LEARN MORE: NW Noggin on Everyday Northwest!

LEARN MORE: Northwest Noggin Interviews