Frontotemporal dementia

The New York Times has a good article on frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and creativity. FTD is a rare disorder, or perhaps more accurately a cluster of related disorders, that affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. As the frontal lobes begin to lose function, other areas of the brain, particularly those related to creative activity, can become stronger. There’s no treatment and no cure, but the odd thing about the disease is that it can result in a wonderful outpouring of creative work. The article talks about Anne Adams, a woman with FTD who was strongly driven to begin painting in the early stages of the illness, after leaving a career in science due to a family emergency. The article describes her work (including a painting she did that renders the structure of Ravel’s Bolero visually; Ravel also suffered from FTD) and talks about what can be learned about brain function from studying patients with FTD. Check out the links at the end to look at samples of Adams’s work. Thanks to Patrick for telling me about this one.