And speaking of brain disorders...
Created | Updated May 23, 2005
Synesthesia1 is a phenomenon in which the body's2 senses become confused, entwined, overlapping and combined. Sufferers3 may see sounds4 or taste words5.
The most common form of synesthesia, audition coloree, causes6 the afflicted to hear colors.7 Curiously,8 blood flow decreases somewhat in the neocortex and increases dramatically in the limbic system during episodes of audition coloree.9
The most common form of synesthesia, audition coloree, causes6 the afflicted to hear colors.7 Curiously,8 blood flow decreases somewhat in the neocortex and increases dramatically in the limbic system during episodes of audition coloree.9
1Also known as Synaesthesia to traditionalists, sentimentalists, perfectionists, Gray's Anatomy editors and other devotees of variant spellings2Somebody's... Anybody's...3If we assume they are indeed that.4Flute music is a delicate gold chain hanging around the neck of a flower girl at an Italian wedding.5"Butterfly" tastes like thinly sliced strawberries in cognac, "dartboard" tastes like pickled beets with a hint of Bermuda onion, and "flea" tastes, oddly enough, like fresh spearmint.6Or, possibly, allows.7Red is often a petrol-powered chain saw, green is commonly a babbling brook meandering through a Japanese rock garden, and puce is frequently a 440/A tuning fork.
8Whether this is cause or effect is a matter of some debate.9Apparently the brain's higher information-processing capabilities nod off with the onset of color-hearing while an older, darker, more primitive way of apprehending the world comes roaring to the fore.
8Whether this is cause or effect is a matter of some debate.9Apparently the brain's higher information-processing capabilities nod off with the onset of color-hearing while an older, darker, more primitive way of apprehending the world comes roaring to the fore.
