As PD generally manifests itself in neuron depletion on one side of the brain that results in physical symptoms on the other side of the body is there a similar correspondence with the right and left side functions of the brain? As they work in conjunction to regulate how we make sense of things with the left side being rational / predictive and the right side intuitive / creative ?
Such an interesting question. I’ve definitely seen cognitive side effects with speech and memory. Memory is the right side and soeech is the left.
I ask because I know artistic like drawing uses the right side. I have noticed i am able to draw better i can observe better rather than drawing what i think something is, a common error in people learning to draw as our thinking is ingrained with images of what we think things look like and and this blocks our ability to observe what is really there and so you end up with the classic house with 4 windows and a door, for example. The left side deals with abstract things like processes algorithms and structures. When the right side which deals with holistic thinking and making sense of reality doesn’t align with the abstract left side like when you are trying to understand some new concept, you get uncanniness. I am interested as apart from doing art I have am interested in the use of new technologies and the human factors involved from studying the subject many years ago. There are some popular science books around that claim using computers are affecting our
brains and making us all stupider and unable to think in the real world. But that is a vast oversimplification and the subject is very complicated. there is a big book called the Master and his Emissary The divided brain and the making of the western world by Iian Mc Gilchrist Yale University press that about the best book on the subject but its a bit of a tomb and quite dense.
I’m interested in how creative/craft activities can help both the mental and physical health effects of PD and life in general.
It could also be that doing these activites helps rewire the brain and enhances mental clarity by removing clutter and overthinking created by all the information people are bombarded with nowadays by media Tv phones etc. Drawing in particular is a good exercise to get in the “Zone” an automatic state all sportsman, artisans, artists and craftspeople learn through repeated practice to master a skill. These skills are good for emotional wellbeing, and are good for the right side of the brain which performs them and helps to regulate the left side which generates our rational thinking and is prone to positive feedback leading to addictive behaviour and overanalysing that causes stress that is bad for our wellbeing.