The NeuroHumanities Promenade at AAN 2025 San Diego

Galina Gheihman, MD is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and an attending physician in General Neurology at Mass General Brigham.

Over the past few decades, the arts and humanities have steadily gained recognition within the field of medicine—and more recently, within neurology. With the launch of the NeuroHumanities Synapse, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has embraced this growing movement and recognized its role in supporting wellbeing and brain health. This growing shift was tangibly felt during the recent AAN Annual Meeting (AANAM) where we saw a strong curriculum representing the arts and the humanities coursing through the conference. In what we called a Neurohumanities “promenade”, attendees were invited to break away from the science and the medicine to walk on the humanities side: whether by delving into the role of cinema in neurology, exploring the power of traditional architecture in brain health, or trying to understand the way surrealism can help us emphasize with the experience of patients with migraines. Join us in our review of the Neurohumanities Promenade!

On the very first day of the AANAM, Dr. Javi Suarez delivered a provocative Head Talk where he borrowed from Scott McCloud’s framework for understanding the psychology of comic books. Reminiscent of E.H. Gombrich’s work on perception in art history, Dr. Suarez showed how the visual and written languages of comic books are combined to elicit specific psychological and perceptual responses in all of us. This simultaneously gives us all an excuse to pick up a comic book or a graphic novel, while reminding us that language is not just spoken or written, but also drawn and painted.

Next, Dr. Aileen Antonio taught us about how architecture and urban planning affect brain health. She showed how suburban sprawls are built for cars, not humans, and how their design results in multifaceted negative effects on human health and wellbeing. Suburbia disconnects us from our neighbors, stops us from walking and exercising naturally in the day, and atomizes us as a society. Moreover, Dr. Antonio spoke about how traditional neighborhoods like the ones in Europe are designed to do the very opposite - built with humans in mind, they are centered around libraries, squares, and markets. In her closing words, Dr. Antonio proposed that houses be built with communal spaces, neighborhoods feature shared gardens, and cities be built with the humans they are built for in mind.

Ever wonder about those odd migraine auras your patient tells you about? Dr. Ashhar Ali explored the various sensory, visual, and even auditory features of migraines. Drawing parallels to surrealism, Dr. Ali suggested we need to take an artistic leap of faith to understand migraine auras. He used the words of Lewis Carrol and the art of Salvador Dali to better conceptualize the perception-warping world of the auras seen in Alice in Wonderland syndrome. It was incredible to see major talks at a national neurology conference inviting the arts and humanities into dialogue with clinical medicine.

Cinema was also featured heavily as a neurohumanistic art. Did you know we can use movies to teach neurology? Eelco Wijdicks from Mayo Clinic shared with us a system he has developed for categorizing the accuracy of neurological portrayals in film. Rated from (of course!) one to four reflex hammers in his metric, Dr. Wijdicks played clips from various motion pictures to exemplify misrepresentations of neurology, faithful portrayals of the lived experiences of patients, and accurate neuroscientific depictions. Dr. Simpkins then segued the discussion to show how neurologists have been represented and misrepresented on the silver screen. And finally, Dr. Lakothia suggested a series of best practices for using cinema as a tool of medical pedagogy. So – you now have permission to read comics and watch movies!

Cinema was also the theme of the annual AAN History Section in person gathering with a film screening of David Lynch’s masterpiece “The Elephant Man” at the San Diego Digital Gym Cinema. This was also a team-up between alumni speakers of the Neurohumanities Network,, History Section Leader Dr. Alison Christy and neuroscientist and DJ Eric Leonardis. During a true film forum discussion, they highlighted different types of gazes directed at people with disabilities, including the exotic gaze and the medical gaze. This was another reminder of the importance of visual literacy in medicine and science.

Elsewhere in the meeting, the History Section hosted talks on the life and legacy of Alexander Luria, the pioneering women who developed electroencephalography, and on the lived experiences of those teaching neurology in the 1800s. Another historical treat was delivered by Dr. Chris Boes who showed a fascinating historical video of a contentious grand rounds. Debating in it were none other than giants in the field: A.B. Baker, Joe Foley, MacDonald Critchley, and Wilder Penfield. Finally, the ethics section featured a session with an open discussion on various conundrums of inpatient, outpatient, and intensive care neurology.

A whole other kind of mixed artistic and scientific language was featured in a Head Talk on “Your Brain of Beethoven”. Drs. Mei Rui, DVA, and David Kaplan, MD gave us the blueprint for the future of the neurohumanities - demonstrating how partnerships between artists, scientists, and clinicians should be built. They graced our ears with Beethoven’s symphonies while donning a simplified EEG cap in real time during the lecture. Later in the talk, Dr Rui discussed her research on music and medicine - specifically how calming pieces of classical music can be used for patients recovering in the neuroscience intensive care unit. She did warn us that not all classical music is fit for patients recovering from neurologic injuries. Even apparently calming pieces may hide more activating passages, which may end up agitating the patient and provoking anxiety. Dr. Rui and colleagues also study how music impacts surgeon performance and provider wellness with live music playing in the operating theater. Another study explored the effects of music on both players and listeners at the same time, aiming to identify similarities and differences in their experiences and responses. The talk concluded with an evocative quote who bears repeating: “Music can heal wounds which medicine cannot touch.”

For those looking to get their “hands-on” experience with neurohumanities, they had to look no further than an interactive narrative medicine workshop chaired by Drs. Preeta Gupta, Tyler Crissinger, and Nara Michaelson, alongside editors of the Humanities section of the journal Neurology. Some participants submitted works ahead of time, receiving direct feedback from editors on how to improve their writing. For those venturing in at the last minute, a thoughtful workshop created a space for reflective writing and group sharing. The editors delivered one important message to all in attendance: everyone is encouraged to submit accounts of their lived experiences, narrative reflections, and humanistic endeavors, regardless of whether they have a background in professional writing or not. The workshop leads emphasized the working with narratives can help us all grow as humans, clinicians, and writers.

The Wellness Hub was also a beacon for a wealth of neurohumanitiess activities this year. Another creative arts session with a hands-on, practical component included Neuro-Fiber Arts, led by Drs. Alison Christy and Lealani Acosta. Drs. Christy and Acosta taught attendees about the art of embroidering neuron designs onto capes, which aligned nicely with the theme of this years’ meeting in San Diego (the home of Comic Con) – “Superheroes”. A collective art performance was led by Drs. Galina Gheihman and Denis Balaban who taught a beginner salsa class to the delight of dozens of attendees. Amateur painters joined daily Paint and Wine sessions where they could unwind while engaging in guided painting. Under the instruction of an experienced art teacher, attendees explored their artistic side while enjoying a glass of wine. Artist and neurocritical care physician (and Neurohumanities Network speaker alum) Dr. Usaamah Khan displayed his creative and moving neurology inspired art work in a showcase called “Neural Blends.” (https://parakeet-amethyst-c6tz.squarespace.com/artist) These sessions provided a valuable opportunity for creative expression, while meeting with new friends and colleagues during the busy schedule of the conference.

What we have increasingly seen at the AANAM and in neurology is a growing concern and interest for the role played by the arts and the humanities in neurological conditions. This spans from their adoption in understanding the patient’s experience, in communicating neurological disease, and in educating our peers and trainees. There is a clear need for more neurohumanities experiences and discussions, and we are proud of the many options for dialogue and participation provided this year at AAN. We hope that these efforts will continue and expand at future meetings as we deepen our collective understanding of the power of the neurohumanities.

For those who are AAN members, make sure to join us on the AAN’s NeuroHumanities Synapse to keep the conversation going.

About:

Galina Gheihman, MD is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and an attending physician in General Neurology at Mass General Brigham. Dr. Gheihman attended the University of Toronto for her undergraduate studies. She earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency at MGB, where she served as Chief Resident in 2023-2024. Galina helps run a monthly acute neurology simulation program for medical students, founded the BRAINS program supporting near-peer teaching of medicine residents, and is co-director of a CME course on neurology for the non-neurologist. She is also co-founder of the NeuEJM monthly medical education journal club and co-leader of the MGB neurology residency med ed certificate program.