Behind the Art: Illustrating Figures in Neuroscience Research

When scientific insight meets artistic intent, something powerful happens. In our recent Brain and Cognition publication—“EEG-based neurophysiological indices for expert psychomotor performance”—I had the opportunity to illustrate Figure 2, which serves as a visual anchor for the core themes of our review.

The article is available open access here:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106132

Figure 2.

As both a cognitive neuroscientist and artist, I’m deeply committed to making science visually accessible—without sacrificing quality. In a paper that synthesizes decades of EEG research, it was essential that the visuals didn’t simply accompany the text, but actively integrated with it—helping readers intuitively connect neurophysiological mechanisms to real-world psychomotor performance.

Designing Figure 2 was more than just a visual task—it was a conceptual exercise in how we represent complex ideas in neuroscience. My hope is that the illustration invites readers from both scientific and interdisciplinary backgrounds to engage more deeply with the cognitive rhythms that underpin neuroscience.