Fusion of Symbols, Confusion of Boundaries: Percept Contamination in the Art Work of Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Abstract

Art work consisting of fused images and hybrid organisms is representational of the perceptual, conceptual, and psychological confusion resulting from Alzheimer's disease. As this dementing illness progresses to an advanced stage, boundaries become confused and visual symbols merge to form bizarre amalgamations. As the patient regresses in psychological defense against the neuro-perceptual breakdown, unconscious aspects often surface in the drawings. These phenomena are researched in terms of neurological theories of memory and perception, interrelated with Rorschach psychology, Freudian psychology, and the ego psychology of Spitz and Jacobson.The emotional regression as viewed through art productions parallels the physiological regression in the Alzheimer patient.

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