Art Meets Neuroscience

Art—in all its forms, from painting to theatre, from music to dance, and from formal to informal expressions—is no longer solely the concern of experts, enthusiasts, or collectors. It has now fully entered the domains of life sciences, psychology, and neuroscience. The study of art offers a unique window into the human brain, enabling the analysis of a wide range of cognitive processes, including attention, perception, memory, language, and emotion, thereby paving the way toward a deeper understanding of diverse human experiences. Artistic experience thus emerges as a privileged avenue for investigating human cognition.

Artistic experiences are both unique and idiosyncratic, yet they rely on shared cerebral and cognitive mechanisms across individuals—whether they are creators or observers. They represent a phenomenon that is simultaneously universal and distinctive, offering scientists the opportunity to adopt a holistic rather than purely analytical approach. This perspective supports a conceptual shift from studying “the brain” as an abstract, unified entity to examining “brains,” each with its own specificities and modes of experiencing artistic uniqueness.

In recent decades, art and artistic engagement have also drawn increasing interest within the health sciences. A substantial body of evidence now documents the beneficial effects of art on human health at multiple levels, ranging from stress and anxiety reduction to immune system support in critical conditions. Furthermore, numerous studies highlight the growing role of various art forms in supporting individuals with dementia and other forms of cognitive decline. In this respect as well, art appears to bridge the interests of scientists across diverse disciplines, spanning from basic research to clinical practice.

At the same time, art enables a shift from investigating the neurofunctional origins of aesthetic effects on the body to analyzing the consequences of artistic experience for both individual and collective human behavior. Art possesses an inherently social dimension, which in turn facilitates the expansion of traditional cognitive neuroscience frameworks toward those of social neuroscience and multi-brain paradigms.

In this Special Issue, we welcome both theoretical and empirical contributions—conducted with clinical or non-clinical populations across the entire life span—that focus on understanding the brain through artistic and/or aesthetic experience.

Dr. Claudio Lucchiari
Dr. Maria Elide Vanutelli
Guest Editors

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