Sloka Iyengar: Neuronatyam & “Science and Society: Exploring Mental Health”

For Brain Awareness Week this year, I was excited to bring two different-but-related events that brought together my interest in all that the brain enables to do, but also how brain function may contribute to pathologies. 

As a dancer, a recurring theme in my work is the combination of arts and the sciences. I was supposed to debut Neuronatyam - a production that describes dance through the lens of neuroscience to explore themes of movement, rhythm, and emotions. Here’s a sneak peek of a shorter piece where I use dance to show how neurons and neuronal networks enable thought, consciousness, and dance.

Earlier this year, I read the book “Evicted” by Matthew Desmond, where he follows several families as they evicted from their houses. The individuals are their families are exposed repeatedly to trauma, violence, poverty, substance abuse, hunger, and uncertainty. Reading the book made me think of how interconnected these issues are, and the effect on mental health each of these individual factors – let alone all combined – could have. I organized a panel entitled “Science and Society: Exploring Mental Health” to start a discussion between scientists and professionals in the field. Panelists were scheduled to discuss the mental health effects of homelessness, substance abuse disorders, and traumatic events in combat. We are seeing many of these mental health issues to be exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rendering such a discussion even more important.

“My graduate and postdoctoral work was in epilepsy, where I explored the mechanisms by which neuronal circuits generate and sustain seizures. I then worked at an epilepsy clinic with children and adults with refractory epilepsies, and was part of the study that ultimately helped approval of cannabidiol for some epilepsy syndromes. More recently, I have worked in the private and nonprofit sectors refining my research and science communication skills. As an educator, I teach neuroscience and evolution to science teachers at the American Museum of Natural History. I am a performer as well, and practice the classical Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam. I had aspirations of a program to bring dance to residents of New York City nursing homes, which is sadly on hold due to COVID-19. You can find out more about me at www.slokaiyengar.net!
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