Annalisa Buffo, neuroscientist

CONVERGENT THINKING, DIVERGENT THINKING

Studying brain cells to repair their flaws is A.B.’s professional dream. It stems from a magnetic attraction to astrocytes, guided by two impulses: the pursuit of aesthetic fulfilment through the study of geometric forms in nature, supported by convergent thinking—which observes, analyses, and examines; and the desire for a journey of discovery, fuelled by divergent thinking—which predicts, intuits, and uncovers.

For A.B., convergent thinking has been unconsciously oriented toward biology since childhood, manifesting itself as a fascination with the geometries of natural plant forms that develop in successive stages from a generative centre. She thereby constructs a visual core imbued with emotion—an early, unconscious connection to her future professional interest in astrocytes, whose star-like shapes are reminiscent of this childhood imagery, and particularly in glial cells, which feature a central nucleus from which axons and dendrites branch out.

The trees she observes in nature transform into the genealogical trees of the glial cells she studies, recognizing them as their progenitors.

Convergent thinking helps her hone her research, identify cause and effect, and uncover the rules of exchange and interaction between neurons and glial cells.

Divergent thinking, essential for looking beyond the visible and addressing new research questions, enables her journey of discovery. It helps her uncover new possibilities for research and relationships, even within personal challenges and experimental failures.

In Annalisa’s journey, convergent and divergent thinking—respectively represented by the left and right hemispheres of her brain—are regulated by dreaming, which requires both rational and emotional knowledge and skills to manifest. Dreaming also relies on collaboration and networking with other researchers to drive discovery forward.

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