# Can Semantics Uncover Hidden Relations between Neurodegenerative Diseases and Artistic Behaviors?
## 4 State-of-the-Art
### Neurodegenerative Diseases and Artistic Behavior
For example, visual perception may be impaired in certain regions of the brain, leading to color deficit reproduction in dementia with Lewy bodies, which causes recurrent visual hallucinations. In [38], the changes in painting style among artists with NDs were presented and compared to the painting style of normally aging healthy controls. In [39], the changes that occurred in the painting style of PD patients were particularly emphasized. Studies such as [33; 40] focused on examining the impact of different tasks on the progression of NDs in homogenous samples of patients, such as PD patients or dementia patients (DPs). [PERSON] et al. [40] studied the effects of an 8-week visual arts training program on cognition in people with dementia but found that the program did not yield significant benefits in overall cognition, working memory, or delayed recall. In their research [33], the authors investigated whether artistic production in PD patients was triggered by dopaminergic treatment (DT) or pre-existing artistic skills but found no evidence to support the idea that DT is the cause of an emergence of artistic creativity. Other studies [25; 30; 34; 41; 42] explored the potential therapeutic benefits of art therapy for patients with NDs. [PERSON] et al. [25] provided a striking example of how theatre training can help patients manage their motor and emotional control and provide new strategies for balancing mind and body. [PERSON] et al. [41] examined art-based activities as therapy for DPs, whereas [42] explored the potential benefits of visual art training for these patients. Studies such as [30; 43] investigated dance and music as ways to assess the severity of NDs, with [43] focusing on the impact of dance on the functional mobility of PD patients and [30] presenting music and art therapy as interventions aimed at improving the quality of life of patients and potentially slowing down or even halting disease progression. It was observed [34] that patients with NDs may start to show artistic inspiration and creation after the onset of the disease, even if they were not previously affected by the arts. Music therapy, for example, was found to be protective against age-related cognitive decline and to improve quality of life in AD patients [34]. By practicing the arts during their illness, patients may reduce stress, apathy, and anxiety and potentially have a positive impact on neuroplasticity. [PERSON] and their colleagues [30] conducted a review that analyzed the effects of FTD on artistic activities and manifestation, paying close attention to the chronological development of each patient. Their work supports the idea that creative stimuli can strengthen a person's self-healing ability and self-confidence as NDs progress. The authors recommended further analysis of the progression of NDs to gain a better understanding of the FTD process and physical impairment. In [44], the short-term clinical benefits of a dancing lesson were evaluated by comparing the functional mobility of a group of PD patients who took a dance class to another group who did not. The integration of creativity tasks into the rehabilitation process of ND patients was explored in studies [44; 45; 46; 47]. Although the use of creativity tasks was proposed for ND rehabilitation, the authors stressed the need for further quantitative study to examine the results. Studies relating to artistic activities as therapy have several limitations. Despite the potential for therapeutic implications to be a powerful intervention, rigorous testing of their effectiveness is necessary to establish a solid evidence base. Clinical scales, neuropsychological tests, petrophysical tests, and brain imaging techniques are some of the evaluation methods that can provide robust results and offer insights into the connection between art and brain damage [25]. Some researchers compared artistic behavior to the progressive neural damage caused by NDs [26; 48; 49].