September 15, 2006
What is synesthesia?:
There's a useful article in this month's Scientific American that poses the question 'what is synesthesia?' in the 'ask the experts' section.
The question is answered by neuroscientists and synaesthesia researchers Thomas Palmeri, Randolph Blake and René Marois, who give a concise description of what its like to have synaesthesia as well as explaining some of the science behind this intriguing condition.
Until 5 years ago, syneasthesia was largely ignored and thought to be a rare and relatively uninteresting oddity.
It is now being investigated after surveys found it far more common than previously thought.
It is thought that researching synaesthesia will also give an insight into the structure and function of perception in the brain, in both those with and those without the condition.
Link to SciAm article 'What is synesthesia?'.
