Report on Health and Arts Week 2023 in Florencio Varela, Argentina

Health and Arts Week 2023 was a community event organized by the Executing Unit for Studies in Neurosciences and Complex Systems (ENyS, CONICET-HEC-UNAJ). This event aims to show how engaging in artistic activities can have positive effects on our health. It took place from October 30 to November 3, as part of a global initiative called Global South Arts and Health Week. During the week, students, staff, healthcare professionals, the elderly and the general public interacted with researchers to learn about their investigations and took part in artistic activities based on neuroscientific knowledge. ENyS has been promoting this kind of outreach activities on health and arts since 2017.

The event was held at Arturo Jauretche National University (UNAJ), Florencio Varela, Argentina, https://www.unaj.edu.ar/. It was coordinated by Silvia Kochen, neuroscientist and film director. The organizing committee was integrated by Magdalena Biota, poet, musician and science communicator; and the researchers Paula N. González, Jimena Barbeito, Silvia Oddo,  Brenda Giagante and Lucía Alba-Ferrara.

During the week, two scientific documentaries were showcased. Frontline of Fire: Honor and Gratitude, by Sara Silvia Kochen, and Medicinal Cannabis, by Sara Silvia Kochen and Emiliano Serra. After the screening, the directors interacted with the audience.

The researchers and neuroscientists Alejandro Nasimbera and Santiago Cordisco delivered interactive talks to explain how neurons’ electrical activities are registered and studied. They explained how specific neurons in the brain might respond to highly specific and complex stimuli. In one famous study published in 2005 by Dr. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga and his colleagues, researchers recorded the activity of individual neurons in the medial temporal lobe of patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. They found that certain neurons fired selectively in response to pictures or concepts of specific individuals, such as Jennifer Aniston or Diego Maradona.

Beatriz Carballeira talked about the humanized care initiatives in Hospital El Cruce, and organized several interactive activities that included music, art and drama workshops. 

Also, several online talks were delivered on different neuroscientific topics (only available in Spanish):

ENyS has been promoting this kind of outreach activities on health and arts since 2017. For further information, an archive of previous editions of this initiative can be found here.