Assembly of the Self - Kid Acne

Catch up virtually on a vibrant set of new works by visual artist Kid Acne in an exhibit that explored the importance of neuroscience in relation to human health.

Taking inspiration from a series of in-depth conversations and site visits, exploring Postdoctoral Researcher Elsie Place and PhD student Tom Cozens research and the importance of neuroscience in relation to human health, Ed combined his background in Fine Art and illustration to create a vibrant set of new works based on his findings. 

Elsie’s field of research is developmental biology. Her subject area is the embryonic development of the hypothalamus, a region of the brain which is responsible for a number of critical functions in the adult, such as heart rate, body temperature, hunger, and the sleep-wake cycle. “We look at how these regions of the early embryo signal to each other to establish a 'pattern' of distinct regions in specific locations, where the cells have specific properties underlain by different combinations of active genes. We also study patterns of cell movement and growth to understand how the characteristic layout of the forebrain arises.”

Meanwhile, Tom is working on a project titled ‘Morphological adaptations to excess activity in single Drosophila Kenyon cells’. “I study odour memory in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) which is encoded by an area called the mushroom body. Specifically, the interactions between Kenyon cells and their connecting neurons are thought to hold learned odour representations. I am investigating plasticity and how an individual Kenyon cell adapts its morphology and expression of key proteins if it is overactivated for a prolonged period of time, as this helps us understand what 'strategies' neurons usually employ to keep their activity fairly consistent”.