How is synesthesia related to sensation and perception?

Synesthesia is a condition in which one sense (for example, hearing) is simultaneously perceived as if by one or more additional senses such as sight. Another form of synesthesia joins objects such as letters, shapes, numbers or people’s names with a sensory perception such as smell, color or flavor.

Is synesthesia a sensory interaction?

We don’t tend to think about these interactions between our senses simply because we are so used to them. The same is true for individuals with synesthesia. They have always experienced coupled sensory stimulation and so their perception is just as “normal” as a non-synesthete’s sensory perception.

Is synesthesia sensation or perception?

Abstract. Synesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory modality evokes additional (usually) sensory experiences in an unrelated modality (e.g., sounds evoking colors).

How synesthesia contributes to our understanding of sensory modalities?

Synesthesia allows us to develop a cross-modal, sensory-based theory of interactivity that is not simply triggered in the form of a visual or tactile stimulus-response mechanism in the audience, but at cognitive and cross-modal multi-sensorial level.

How might sensory neuroscience be important in understanding synesthesia?

In particular, in considering synesthesia, one can better understand how and where the different sensory modalities interact in the brain, how different sensory modalities can interact without confusion ― the binding problem ― as well as how sensory perception develops.

How are the sensory regions of the brain related to synesthesia?

These “higher level” brain areas are most likely related to three different cognitive processes inherently part of synaesthesia: the sensory processes (with the sensory areas), the attentional processes especially controlling the binding process (within the parietal lobe), and the cognitive processes (controlled by …

What part of the brain does synesthesia affect?

Several brain regions have been shown to be pivotal for synaesthetic experience among them are sensory and motor regions as well as so-called “higher level” regions in the parietal and frontal lobe.

What does synesthesia tell us about the brain?

Synaesthesia could help us understand how the brain processes language. When we speak, listen, read, or write, almost all of the language processing that happens in our brains goes on below the level of conscious awareness.

In what ways might having synesthesia be challenging?

Synesthetes can be put off by a person because they don’t like the colors of their name, for example. You can have improved memory. Synesthesia can be lonely — other people don’t see the world the same way, and it can be difficult to describe. You’re more likely to be interested in and good at creative pursuits.

How is synesthesia related to brain?

Synesthesia is a neurological condition that causes the brain to process data in the form of several senses at once. For example, a person with synesthesia may hear sounds while also seeing them as colorful swirls.

Which brain area is most affected by synesthesia?

It is unclear which parts of the brain are involved in synesthesia. Richard Cytowic’s research has led him to believe that the limbic system is primarily responsible for synesthetic experiences. The limbic system includes several brain structures primarily responsible for regulating our emotional responses.