Beautiful Minds

Fractals are repeating patterns found in beautiful natural phenomena like this peacock’s tail. Unique as fingerprints, they’re also found in human creations – analysing fractals in brush strokes can separate authentic works of art from fakes. New research suggests that an artist’s fractal ‘signature’ may change with the onset of neurodegenerative disease. The study, which analysed paintings from seven different artists, found distinctive changes in the fractal patterns of painters like James Brooks who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and Salvador Dali, who developed Parkinson’s disease later in life. Similar studies find that linguistic patterns may also change as the brain begins to deteriorate. Such early signs provide clues to how cognitive disorders affect different behaviours and may ultimately suggest ways to treat patients earlier.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image by Reinhard Dirscherl/Science Photo Library
• School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
• Any re-use of this image must be authorised by Science Photo Library
• Research published in Neuropsychology, January 2017