Brain research and ideas

Researching into the brain – Considering the ‘Hotel di Colpa’ is in Claudio’s mind, I thought we could set out the hotel so that each room represents or explores a different section of his brain e.g. the section that is for memory- we could show Claudio having flashbacks of his relationship with Hero. I have researched into the functions of each part and given suggestions of how we could use these in relation to the plot/storyline we have already devised.

‘Injury’ could also mean mental illness- not just physical.  

Frontal lobes

Located behind the forehead, the frontal lobes are the largest lobes of the brain. These two lobes are involved in:

• Planning
•  Organising
•  Problem solving
•   Memory
•  Impulse control
• Decision making
• Selective attention
•     Controlling behaviour and emotions

Injury may effect-

•    Emotions
•  Impulse control
•  Language
•   Memory
• Social and sexual behaviour

‘Social behaviour’- the hotel guests could pick up on Claudio’s strange social behaviour (maybe during the canteen scene) - commenting on the fact that he’s constantly carrying around a handbag, seems antisocial, isolated, secluded/unfriendly.

Temporal lobes

Located on the sides of the brain under the parietal lobes and behind the frontal lobes. They are responsible for:

•  Recognising and processing sound
•  Understanding and producing speech
• Various aspects of memory

Injury may affect:

• Hearing 
• listening
•    The ability to recognise a familiar persons face
•      Processing sensory information

If we were to follow through with the idea mentioned above, Claudio’s behaviour in this room could present a ‘panic’. He as a breakdown- doesn’t recognise anyone, can’t hear what people are saying (language becomes blurred) and he is completely confused- has no sense of time or setting. To show this we could use what we learnt in ‘The Visit’ with the train scene. Here Ill has a mental breakdown believing that all the villagers are crowding him yet they are all spaced out apart from him- repeating everything he says.

Parietal Lobes-

Located behind the frontal lobes.  They are responsible for:

•    Integrate sensory information from various parts of the body
•     Contain the primary sensory cortex which controls sensation (touch, hot or cold, pain)
•  Tell us which way is up
•    Help to keep us from bumping into things when we walk

Here we could use the idea of ‘pain’ to show Claudio reliving a memory of Hero or use this as a flashback showing how much he loved Hero and how hurt she is now that she’s gone *see post about peoples reaction and affects to others suicide*. We could use feelings and emotions described here to create this scene.

Cerebellum-

Located at the back of the brain, the cerebellum controls:

·         Balance

·         Movement

·         Coordination

·         Ability to stand upright

Injury may affect

·         Movement

·         Muscle tone

·         Gait

This section could be represented through the death – suicide of Claudio. Alternatively we could take the idea of balance (twisting its meaning) to portray an unhealthy emotional balance between grief and guilt.

Occipital lobe

Located at the back of the head

·         Receive and process visual information

·         Contains areas that help in perceiving shapes and colours

Injuries-

·         Distortion of visual field

·         Perception of size colour and shape

Taking ‘distortion of visual field’ this could apply to the bed scene where Hero appears- she could be a hallucination rather than a ghost (not really there).

Hippocampus

The hippocampus is located in the medial temporal lobe. Responsible for:

·         Memory creation and retention

·         Help us create new memories

·         Helps us orientate ourselves in our surroundings

·         Facilitates our ability to navigate and find our ways around the world

Injury-

·         New memory creation

·         New memory retention

·         Mood

·         Confusion

·         Disorientation

Perhaps ‘Hotel di Colpa’ is situated in Claudio’s hippocampus- he is creating this hotel and each section of his brain has an effect/alteration on his perceptions. The hippocampus is central in the brain- therefore Claudio’s guilt and pain, at losing Hero to suicide, is central to his thoughts and feelings. This then acts as the driving force/motivation towards his suicide.

Hypothalamus-

Located below the thalamus and above the brain stem.

• Helps us regulate body temperature
•  helps us realize when we are hungry or thirsty
•  plays a role in what mood we might be feeling
•  releases and controls many hormones that we need to function

Injury

• Sex drive
• sleep
•   hunger
•   thirst
• emotions

This could be presented during the bed scene ‘sex drive’ or we could also set a scene during night when all the other guests are asleep. Perhaps this could be a scene with Maggie and Margaret where Claudio goes to see them about Hero because she won’t get out of his mind or appears physically whenever he tries to sleep.

Amygdala

Located near the hippocampus in the frontal portion of the temporal lobes

•  Involved in the formation and storage of information related to emotional events
• Facilitate long term memory formation
•   Convert and retain learning from pleasure responses
• Help us recognize when we are in danger or fearful of something

Injury

•  Memory formation
•  Emotional sensitivity
•  Learning and retention
•   Depression
• Anxiety

Particularly during the build up to Claudio’s suicide- we begin to see clear signs of increased anxiety, depression, sensitivity and constant flashbacks where Hero is seen to be encouraging Claudio’s guilt.