Developing synaesthesia

Synaesthesia is a condition in which a stimulus elicits an additional subjective experience. For example, the letter E printed in black (the inducer) may trigger an additional colour experience as a concurrent (e.g., blue). Synaesthesia tends to run in families and thus, a genetic component is likel...

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Main Authors: Nicolas Rothen, Julia Simner, Beat Meier
Format: Online
Sprog:engelsk
Udgivet: Frontiers Media SA 2021
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Online adgang:18691
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author Nicolas Rothen
Julia Simner
Beat Meier
author_browse Beat Meier
Julia Simner
Nicolas Rothen
author_facet Nicolas Rothen
Julia Simner
Beat Meier
author_sort Nicolas Rothen
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description Synaesthesia is a condition in which a stimulus elicits an additional subjective experience. For example, the letter E printed in black (the inducer) may trigger an additional colour experience as a concurrent (e.g., blue). Synaesthesia tends to run in families and thus, a genetic component is likely. However, given that the stimuli that typically induce synaesthesia are cultural artefacts, a learning component must also be involved. Moreover, there is evidence that synaesthetic experiences not only activate brain areas typically involved in processing sensory input of the concurrent modality; synaesthesia seems to cause a structural reorganisation of the brain. Attempts to train non-synaesthetes with synaesthetic associations have been successful in mimicking certain behavioural aspects and posthypnotic induction of synaesthetic experiences in non-synaesthetes has even led to the according phenomenological reports. These latter findings suggest that structural brain reorganization may not be a critical precondition, but rather a consequence of the sustained coupling of inducers and concurrents. Interestingly, synaesthetes seem to be able to easily transfer synaesthetic experiences to novel stimuli. Beyond this, certain drugs (e.g., LSD) can lead to synaesthesia-like experiences and may provide additional insights into the neurobiological basis of the condition. Furthermore, brain damage can both lead to a sudden presence of synaesthetic experiences in previously non-synaesthetic individuals and a sudden absence of synaesthesia in previously synaesthetic individuals. Moreover, enduring sensory substitution has been effective in inducing a kind of acquired synaesthesia. Besides informing us about the cognitive mechanisms of synaesthesia, synaesthesia research is relevant for more general questions, for example about consciousness such as the binding problem, about crossmodal correspondences and about how individual differences in perceiving and experiencing the world develop. Hence the aim of the current Research Topic is to provide novel insights into the development of synaesthesia both in its genuine and acquired form. We welcome novel experimental work and theoretical contributions (e.g., review and opinion articles) focussing on factors such as brain maturation, learning, training, hypnosis, drugs, sensory substitution and brain damage and their relation to the development of any form of synaesthesia.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-449342024-04-05T12:35:48Z Developing synaesthesia Nicolas Rothen Julia Simner Beat Meier RC321-571 Q1-390 synaesthesia development Grapheme colour Immune System drugs training congenital neurotransmitter autism thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PS Biology, life sciences::PSA Life sciences: general issues::PSAN Neurosciences Synaesthesia is a condition in which a stimulus elicits an additional subjective experience. For example, the letter E printed in black (the inducer) may trigger an additional colour experience as a concurrent (e.g., blue). Synaesthesia tends to run in families and thus, a genetic component is likely. However, given that the stimuli that typically induce synaesthesia are cultural artefacts, a learning component must also be involved. Moreover, there is evidence that synaesthetic experiences not only activate brain areas typically involved in processing sensory input of the concurrent modality; synaesthesia seems to cause a structural reorganisation of the brain. Attempts to train non-synaesthetes with synaesthetic associations have been successful in mimicking certain behavioural aspects and posthypnotic induction of synaesthetic experiences in non-synaesthetes has even led to the according phenomenological reports. These latter findings suggest that structural brain reorganization may not be a critical precondition, but rather a consequence of the sustained coupling of inducers and concurrents. Interestingly, synaesthetes seem to be able to easily transfer synaesthetic experiences to novel stimuli. Beyond this, certain drugs (e.g., LSD) can lead to synaesthesia-like experiences and may provide additional insights into the neurobiological basis of the condition. Furthermore, brain damage can both lead to a sudden presence of synaesthetic experiences in previously non-synaesthetic individuals and a sudden absence of synaesthesia in previously synaesthetic individuals. Moreover, enduring sensory substitution has been effective in inducing a kind of acquired synaesthesia. Besides informing us about the cognitive mechanisms of synaesthesia, synaesthesia research is relevant for more general questions, for example about consciousness such as the binding problem, about crossmodal correspondences and about how individual differences in perceiving and experiencing the world develop. Hence the aim of the current Research Topic is to provide novel insights into the development of synaesthesia both in its genuine and acquired form. We welcome novel experimental work and theoretical contributions (e.g., review and opinion articles) focussing on factors such as brain maturation, learning, training, hypnosis, drugs, sensory substitution and brain damage and their relation to the development of any form of synaesthesia. 2021-02-11T11:17:59Z 2021-02-11T11:17:59Z 2016-03-10 08:14:32 2015 book 18691 16648714 9782889195794 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/44934 eng Frontiers Research Topics image/jpeg Attribution 4.0 International http://www.frontiersin.org/books/Developing_Synaesthesia/651#nogo http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/1244/developing-synaesthesia Frontiers Media SA 10.3389/978-2-88919-579-4 10.3389/978-2-88919-579-4 bf5ce210-e72e-4860-ba9b-c305640ff3ae 9782889195794 173 open access
spellingShingle RC321-571
Q1-390
synaesthesia
development
Grapheme colour
Immune System
drugs
training
congenital
neurotransmitter
autism
thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PS Biology, life sciences::PSA Life sciences: general issues::PSAN Neurosciences
Nicolas Rothen
Julia Simner
Beat Meier
Developing synaesthesia
title Developing synaesthesia
title_full Developing synaesthesia
title_fullStr Developing synaesthesia
title_full_unstemmed Developing synaesthesia
title_short Developing synaesthesia
title_sort developing synaesthesia
topic RC321-571
Q1-390
synaesthesia
development
Grapheme colour
Immune System
drugs
training
congenital
neurotransmitter
autism
thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PS Biology, life sciences::PSA Life sciences: general issues::PSAN Neurosciences
topic_facet RC321-571
Q1-390
synaesthesia
development
Grapheme colour
Immune System
drugs
training
congenital
neurotransmitter
autism
thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PS Biology, life sciences::PSA Life sciences: general issues::PSAN Neurosciences
url 18691
work_keys_str_mv AT nicolasrothen developingsynaesthesia
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AT beatmeier developingsynaesthesia