Posted by The objective I covered for my steam project is to “identify the key components and various structures of the nervous system.” I will be focusing mostly on the brain and the structure and function of neurons specifically. To cover this objective I decided to use multiple sclerosis and how it damages neurons and the brain. The visual aid portion of this project is a less literal interpretation of MS and how it affects the nervous system.
I wanted the artwork to be a less literal interpretation of MS. Because the nervous system functions sort of like a computer, I wanted to compare the frustrations of dealing with MS to the frustrations of dealing with an old computer. The frayed wire is there to represent how MS damages the myelin sheath on the axon of neurons. The background of the computer is nervous tissue and the brain to help draw parallels between the functions of a computer and the functions of the nervous system. The computer pictured is such an old computer because it will inevitably be slow, and there isn’t much you can do to speed up an old computer. This is much like the cognitive dysfunction caused by MS. MS-related cognitive dysfunction is caused by lesions or “black holes” in the brain. The black holes are areas of permanent axonal damage in the nervous tissue of the brain. And much like the old computer, there isn’t much you can do once the damage is done. 
The purpose of this Steam project is to explain the function of the nervous system and how Multiple Sclerosis damages normal function in the nervous system in particular the neurons and the brain. The nervous system functions similarly to a computer sending and receiving messages via neurons with the brain functioning to interpret and process these messages. Tatyana discusses the structure of a nerve cell or neuron and the process by which an action potential originates from an external stimulus. She then discusses the damage caused to the myelin sheath by Multiple Sclerosis. Essentially this disease damages the protective coating of the nerves causing them not to function properly. The neurons in the brain are also affected in this damaging disease and can be noticed with physical and mental deterioration and lesions that can be seen on an MRI as white or dark spots. Tatyana depicts the deterioration of MS in her Steam art project by means of an old broken-down computer. She compares the nervous system with MS to a broken computer with the bad wiring attempting to send signals but due to the deterioration of neurons represented in the wiring, the messages are only partially able to be communicated and delivered because of the damage to the nerves. In her project the MS damaged nerves are depicted by the frayed wiring. This is a cleverly designed project meant to give greater insight to how the nervous system functions and how MS can interrupt this fine process.