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Dingo667 I'm strange...but true Joined: 27 Aug 2004 Total posts: 1977 Location: Deep in the Fens, UK Age: 46 Gender: Female |
 Posted: 07-03-2005 13:58 Post subject: |
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No synasthesia has nothing to do with autism IMO. It comes about when our neural netwaork is developing. Basically all imput from the outside world is coded in the same way, it is just "interpreted" or read differently by each sensory organ but after that it converts back to the same old pattern. So for the brain it doesn't make any difference if a noise for example would be sent to the visual cortex, as it could still make something out of the pattern, so some people "see music" which is due to some extra wiring during development to both the visual and the temporal cortex.
Autism however is very probably due to some connections being amiss from the sensory organs to certain parts of the brain, which results in autistic people needing more and stronger stimulus to make sense of their world than other people. |
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| Anonymous |
| Posted: 17-03-2005 03:37 Post subject: |
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| I'm actually quite interested in Synaesthesia, as last yr I studied the works of French Composer, Messiaen who 'suffered' from this condition and it affected the way he composed and stuff. I think it's just the whole mix up of the senses that fascinates me, but it was very interesting to see what colour he related to each note he used. |
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| zygmunt_rocks_on rider on the highway Joined: 19 Aug 2001 Total posts: 299 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 24-03-2005 11:01 Post subject: Seeing numbers as colours! |
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I "experience" this... though in my case it's days of the week, not numbers!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4375977.stm
| Quote: | US scientists say they can explain why some people 'see' colours when they look at numbers and letters.
As many as one in 2,000 people has an extraordinary condition in which the five senses intermingle, called synaesthesia.
Some see colours when they hear music or words. Others 'taste' words.
The study in Neuron tracked the brain activity of people with the most common form and found peaks in areas involved with perceiving shapes and colours.
Cross-wiring
The University of California San Diego team said their findings lend support to the idea that the condition is due to cross-activation between adjacent areas of the brain involved with processing different sensory information.
This cross-wiring might develop, they believe, by a failure of the "pruning" of nerve connections between the areas as the brain develops while still in the womb.
People with synaesthesia tend to want A to be red, S to be yellow and Z to be black
Synaesthesia researcher Dr Julia Simner, of the University of Edinburgh
For example, a person with synaesthesia might see red when they look at an ordinary figure '5' drawn in black ink on a white background because the red colour perception area of their brain is stimulated at the same time as the number recognition area.
The researchers conducted a series of experiments on volunteers with and without synaesthesia.
When the people without synaesthesia looked at letters and numbers only the brain areas involved with processing this information light up on brain activity scans.
In comparison, the people with synaesthesia had activity in colour perception regions as well.
Colour by numbers
Furthermore, some of the people with synaesthesia appeared to be better at 'seeing' colours than the others.
Those who had stronger colour perception had more activity in their colour perception brain areas.
Researcher Vilayanur Ramachandran said processes similar to synaesthesia might also underlie our general capacity for metaphor and be critical to creativity.
"It is not an accident that the condition is eight times more common among artists than the general population."
Dr Julia Simner, who has been studying synaesthesia at the University of Edinburgh along with colleagues at University College London, said the findings were supported by similar work looking at people who see colours when they hear sounds.
"Interestingly, we've recently analysed the letter-colour combinations of a very large number of people with synaesthesia and found that there are significant trends in their preferences.
"For example, people with synaesthesia tend to want A to be red, S to be yellow and Z to be black."
She said her research also revealed that people without synaesthesia have significant preferences for the colours of letters.
"Some of these choices were fairly obvious, such as 'O' being orange, but some were quite intriguing, and showed a similarity to those of people with synaesthesia."
Her findings are currently in press to appear in the journal Cognitive Neuropsychology.
Jennifer Green from the University of Cambridge, who has also been carrying out research in this area, said: "Some describe seeing the colours induced by letters and numbers as projected externally into space, while others report experiencing them internally, or in their 'mind's eye'.
"This research lends further support to empirical evidence suggesting that these varying descriptions represent actual differences in the way synaesthesia occurs in individuals." |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 25-03-2005 02:03 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Why some see colours in numbers
US scientists say they can explain why some people 'see' colours when they look at numbers and letters.
As many as one in 2,000 people has an extraordinary condition in which the five senses intermingle, called synaesthesia.
Some see colours when they hear music or words. Others 'taste' words.
The study in Neuron tracked the brain activity of people with the most common form and found peaks in areas involved with perceiving shapes and colours.
Cross-wiring
The University of California San Diego team said their findings lend support to the idea that the condition is due to cross-activation between adjacent areas of the brain involved with processing different sensory information.
This cross-wiring might develop, they believe, by a failure of the "pruning" of nerve connections between the areas as the brain develops while still in the womb.
People with synaesthesia tend to want A to be red, S to be yellow and Z to be black
Synaesthesia researcher Dr Julia Simner, of the University of Edinburgh
For example, a person with synaesthesia might see red when they look at an ordinary figure '5' drawn in black ink on a white background because the red colour perception area of their brain is stimulated at the same time as the number recognition area.
The researchers conducted a series of experiments on volunteers with and without synaesthesia.
When the people without synaesthesia looked at letters and numbers only the brain areas involved with processing this information light up on brain activity scans.
In comparison, the people with synaesthesia had activity in colour perception regions as well.
Colour by numbers
Furthermore, some of the people with synaesthesia appeared to be better at 'seeing' colours than the others.
Those who had stronger colour perception had more activity in their colour perception brain areas.
Researcher Vilayanur Ramachandran said processes similar to synaesthesia might also underlie our general capacity for metaphor and be critical to creativity.
"It is not an accident that the condition is eight times more common among artists than the general population."
Dr Julia Simner, who has been studying synaesthesia at the University of Edinburgh along with colleagues at University College London, said the findings were supported by similar work looking at people who see colours when they hear sounds.
"Interestingly, we've recently analysed the letter-colour combinations of a very large number of people with synaesthesia and found that there are significant trends in their preferences.
"For example, people with synaesthesia tend to want A to be red, S to be yellow and Z to be black."
She said her research also revealed that people without synaesthesia have significant preferences for the colours of letters.
"Some of these choices were fairly obvious, such as 'O' being orange, but some were quite intriguing, and showed a similarity to those of people with synaesthesia."
Her findings are currently in press to appear in the journal Cognitive Neuropsychology.
Jennifer Green from the University of Cambridge, who has also been carrying out research in this area, said: "Some describe seeing the colours induced by letters and numbers as projected externally into space, while others report experiencing them internally, or in their 'mind's eye'.
"This research lends further support to empirical evidence suggesting that these varying descriptions represent actual differences in the way synaesthesia occurs in individuals."
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Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4375977.stm
Published: 2005/03/24 01:14:27 GMT
© BBC MMV |
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| berengaria1 just call me Freddie
not another crusade? Joined: 05 May 2004 Total posts: 38 Location: Edge of the world Gender: Female |
| Posted: 10-06-2005 12:10 Post subject: Synaesthesia on my face?! |
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I am synaesthetic (didn't realise until I saw a programme on telly a few years ago. It's mainly coloured letters and numbers - colours in particular fascinate me and I can spend ages looking at colour charts for paint etc. What an exciting life I lead, eh? The weirdest thing is - not sure it's anything to do with synaesthesia - that parts of my face correspond with certain memories and passages in books that I've read. I can't explain it better than that. Like when I'm putting on make up or plucking my eyebrows, I get these images in my mind about the different parts of my face - always the same ones for the same places.
Ok, maybe I'm a loony or something, but just wondered if anyone else could explain this, or has experienced something similar. I haven't mentioned it to anyone else in case they think I'm due for a trip to the funny farm. BTW I've never taken drugs and very rarely drink to excess - maybe I should...... |
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| Mr_Eamcat2 Spiffingly pleasant posh cat
Great Old One Joined: 07 Jun 2005 Total posts: 154 Location: On the porch of The House of Sanity, debating whether or not to jump. Age: 46 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 10-06-2005 12:39 Post subject: |
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Derek tastes of ear wax, right?
I saw that Horizon programme too and was entranced.
I see this type of abstract ability as a natural part of being human - ASAIK we are the only animal to think in abstract ways, some say that's what set us apart from the other apes and allowed us to become so successful.
I heard that schizophrenia is also supposed to be a common human trait - maybe someone can enlighten me? |
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| Dingo667 I'm strange...but true Joined: 27 Aug 2004 Total posts: 1977 Location: Deep in the Fens, UK Age: 46 Gender: Female |
| Posted: 13-06-2005 12:14 Post subject: |
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I honestly recon it will be exactly the same with animals. Brains are all the same, the higher up the ladder we go, the larger the grey mass but everything else is exactly the same.
Dogs and cats have been known to be suffer from depression. I have seen "mad" animals [especially dogs and cats] where the only explanation I could come up with was schitzophrenia [irrational behaviour, agression, change of character etc.]
They don't speak our language so we have to go by behaviour. I am very opposed to the notion that humans are somewhat "higher" than other animals and therefore the only ones that could suffer from mental illness. All that is different in our brains is the mass of grey matter and even though it gives us some advantages [ within the motor neurons for our hands for example], the fact that other animals still have large amounts should be suffice to guess that whatever can go wrong with us, can go wrong with them.
All brains work to the same principles, ions, neurotransmitters and action potentials. It doesn't matter if you are a frog or a giraffe. |
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| bunnymousekitt rabbity mousey cat-like thing
Great Old One Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Total posts: 218 Location: hiding under the kitchen sink Age: 36 Gender: Female |
| Posted: 19-09-2009 01:44 Post subject: |
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I have word/taste synesthesia. which isn't always pleasant...
some words taste quite disgusting.
the word "tuesday" has the most pleasant taste, something that I've never actually physically tasted from an outside source, so it's hard to describe, except being vaguely like vanilla ice-cream and maraschino cherry syrup, but much nicer.
Any word that begins with a "har-" sound tastes awful. I can write the words if I don't think about them too closely, which leads me think, in my case, it's linked to the vocalization center of the brain. If I think about the word intently, as if I'm about to speak it, then the taste kicks in...
It does impact my life in certain ways. We couldn't buy a house on...*prepares self*... Harper's Lane, because I can't say it without retching and gagging. And I don't know what i'd do if ever met someone called "Harold". (No offense to anyone with this name!)
Ugh, I can't go on...anyway,I do wish I had one of the cooler versions, sound/color etc. I have a sense of color with words and letters, but it's not strong enough to be true synesthesia in that case. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 12-05-2012 21:32 Post subject: |
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So some of them may not really be frauds.
| Quote: | Healers See The "Aura" Of People
08 May 2012
Researchers in Spain have found that many of the individuals claiming to see the aura of people - traditionally called "healers" or "quacks"- actually present the neuropsychological phenomenon known as "synesthesia" (specifically, "emotional synesthesia"). This might be a scientific explanation of their alleged "virtue". In synesthetes, the brain regions responsible for the processing of each type of sensory stimuli are intensely interconnected. This way, synesthetes can see or taste a sound, feel a taste, or associate people with a particular color.
The study was conducted by the University of Granada Department of Experimental Psychology - scar Iborra, Luis Pastor and Emilio Gómez Milán, and has been published in the prestigious journal Consciousness and Cognition. This is the first time that a scientific explanation is provided on the esoteric phenomenon of the aura, a supposed energy field of luminous radiation surrounding a person as a halo, which is imperceptible to most human beings.
In neurological terms, synesthesia is due to cross-wiring in the brain of some people (synesthetes); in other words, synesthetes present more synaptic connections than "normal" people. "These extra connections cause them to automatically establish associations between brain areas that are not normally interconnected", professor Gómez Milán explains. Many healers claiming to see the aura of people might have this condition.
The case of the "Santón de Baza"
The University of Granada researchers remark that "not all healers are synesthetes, but there is a higher prevalence of this phenomenon among them. The same occurs among painters and artists, for example". To carry out this study, the researchers interviewed some synesthetes as the healer from Granada "Esteban Sánchez Casas", known as "El Santón de Baza".
Many people attribute "paranormal powers" to El Santón, such as his ability to see the aura of people "but, in fact, it is a clear case of synesthesia", the researchers explain. El Santón presents face-color synesthesia (the brain region responsible for face recognition is associated with the color-processing region); touch-mirror synesthesia (when the synesthete observes a person who is being touched or is experiencing pain, s/he experiences the same); high empathy (the ability to feel what other person is feeling), and schizotypy (certain personality traits in healthy people involving slight paranoia and delusions). "These capacities make synesthetes have the ability to make people feel understood, and provide them with special emotion and pain reading skills", the researchers explain.
In the light of the results obtained, the researchers remark the significant "placebo effect" that healers have on people, "though some healers really have the ability to see people's auras and feel the pain in others due to synesthesia". Some healers "have abilities and attitudes that make them believe in their ability to heal other people, but it is actually a case of self-deception, as synesthesia is not an extrasensory power, but a subjective and 'adorned' perception of reality", the researchers state.
References:
Auras in mysticism and synaesthesia: a comparison. Consciousness and cognition, 2012, 21(1), 258-268 de Milán, Iborra, Pastor y otros. Avalaible at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810011002868
Medical News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/245043.php. |
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| rynner2 What a Cad!
Great Old One Joined: 13 Dec 2008 Total posts: 21362 Location: Under the moon Gender: Male |
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| Mythopoeika Boring petty conservative
Joined: 18 Sep 2001 Total posts: 9109 Location: Not far from Bedford Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 08-10-2013 20:37 Post subject: |
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| I smell horse manure... |
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