Synesthesia allows you to perceive reality in unimaginable ways. Different senses come together in the same perceptive act, creating very different experiences. This text explains what synesthesia is, how it works and what we know so far in terms of neurology and even genetics. In addition to Tammet, there are walkers on this planet who see a multiplication of 5 2 of a color they associate with 7.
Some read Anton Chekhov in purple and others suggest that May dates are orange. The earliest accepted record in the scientific plastic surgery community dates back to 1812, when Georg Sachs described his anesthesia in his medical thesis. However, the general characteristics of this condition were described in detail about 100 years ago. For us who are not synaesthetes, understanding this condition is somewhat difficult.
But in our imagination, the number 5 can take on any possible color. that we know that the perception of synaesthetes is neither an illusion nor an illusion. Contrary to what one might imagine, Tammet explains that the condition does not bother him at all but allows him to access the world beyond his mere perception. He firmly believes that "different ways of perceiving create different ways of knowing and understanding.
" Furthermore, he adds, "our individual perception is fundamental to the way we acquire knowledge. Ward, who believes that synesthesia invites us to reconsider the concept of "normal". There are scholars who even venture to make sure that all humans are born with some degree of empathy, but we are losing ground as our brains develop. In this sense, synaesthetes have an added value, namely, in addition to perceptual conditioning, their ability to be a model of neural and phenomenological understanding.
We have attempted to highlight the neurological causes of synaesthesia. Aesthetic brain imaging has shown structural and functional differences compared to people without the condition, which may provide evidence for the existence of multiple neural connections. Although these differences occur in brain regions that do not process sensory information, they are close to regions responsible for the efficiency of sight or smell. Of the families analyzed in this study, all synaesthetes have a cluster of color-acoustic allusions, in which auditory stimulation activates color perception.
The genetic material of the family members was sequenced to find differences at this level. More precisely, the exomes, which are molecular messages generated by information contained in the DNA, were analyzed. In this way, scientists know which parts of the genetic material are active and therefore relevant to the cell. Although the study authors stated that due to the heterogeneity of the anesthetic, it was difficult to attribute the cause to one region of the genetic material, they attempted to identify six genes that could be important for sonic chromosomal anesthesia.
Although the authors of the study stated that due to the heterogeneity of the anesthetic, it was difficult to attribute the cause to one region of the genetic material, they attempted to identify six genes that may be important for sonic chromosomal anesthesia. Each is involved in axonogenesis (axonogenesis): the physiological process by which neurons create structures to connect with each other and integrate different areas of the brain. This result is exciting because it provides molecular support for the pronounced neuronal connectivity we see in the brain at the synapse.
Another interesting finding is that the researchers found no convergence between their genetic data and what was reported for people with autism, even at the molecular level. This is important because the condition is sometimes combined with autism spectrum conditions, such as Asperger's syndrome. Tammet herself describes herself as a "highly successful autistic student with self-awareness and language proficiency."
Sofía Flores Master of Science Communication from the University of Sheffield, EnglandHolabird, J. (2006) Vladimir Nabokov, alphabet in color. Ginko Press.
TED Talks (2011) Daniel Tammet: different ways of knowing. (Revised March 21, 2018).
Tilot, A. et al (2018) Rare variants in axonogenesis genes connect three families with sound-color synesthesia. PNAS
Ward, J. (2013) Synesthesia. Annual Review of Psychology. 64:49-75