I’ve recently found the time during this Easter break to take a look at a lecture by the leading US synesthesia researcher Assistant Professor David Eagleman. He’s so young, so accomplished, quite famous for an academic (he’s written a popular fiction book) and quite easy on the eye. Life is unfair.
Anyhow, the title of the lecture is Hearing colors, seeing sounds: the neuroscience, behaviour and genetics of synesthesia. The lecture was given in Australia in June of 2009 for the Centre for the Human Aspects of Science and Technology (CHAST) at the University of Sydney. This talk has been broadcast in two parts, of around half an hour each, since July 2009 on the internet by Slow TV. The lecture includes some discussion about famous synaesthetes and the genetics of synaesthesia. Dr Eagleman also explains why The Synesthesia Battery is such an effective tool for sorting genuine colour grapheme synaesthetes from people who don’t have this condition. I would recommend this lecture to anyone who is interested in synesthesia and has an hour to spare. There’s a lot of interesting visual content, and answers to questions from the audience.
I learned new things about synaesthesia. For example, Prof. Eagleman presented evidence in part 2 that coloured sequence synaesthesia (including coloured letters of the alphabet) is a right-brain phenomenon rather than originating in the left-brain as was previously believed. I find this interesting, as I believe that according to the “testosterone” theory of autism that has been put forward by researchers such as the late US neurologist Dr Norman Geschwind and the UK autism expert Prof. Simon Baron-Cohen, the right hemisphere of the brain is the side of the brain which has its growth enhanced by prenatal testosterone. Very low 2D:4D finger ratios are thought to be a sign that one was exposed to high levels of testosterone in utero. All of this would explain why a number of people in my family have autistic traits, at least two different types of colored sequence synesthesia and very low 2D:4D finger ratios. I’ve never heard of any research having been done on the finger ratios of synesthetes. It seems like an obviously interesting and easy thing to do a study of. Dr Eagleman explained that there are 5 clusters of types of synaesthesia, suggesting that there could be different genes giving rise to it. I wonder if there could be any types associated with high 2D:4D finger ratios? Who knows? Another obvious question is whether or not the presence or absence of synesthesia might be useful as a way of distinguishing the various sub-types of autism. It seems pretty obvious to me. Don't forget - I thought of it first.
I recall Dr Eagleman mentioning in part 1 that some synaesthetes associate (the sound of?) particular musical instruments with personalities and gender, which I guess must be something like ordinal-linguistic personification. This bought to mind a very funny thing that Garrison Keillor once did - The young Lutheran's guide to the orchestra. Its a classic. I know that this comedy piece by Keillor is based on the premise that certain instruments should have players of particular dispositions and religious denominations, but I really do think that this type of synaesthesia must surely be the foundation for the creation and the appreciation of this piece of comedy. Is Keillor a synaesthete? Do we all have some degree of instrument -> personality synaesthesia? Dr Eagleman's talk certainly is thought-provoking!
Hearing colors, seeing sounds: the neuroscience, behaviour and genetics of synesthesia. Assistant Professor David Eagleman. Slow TV. July 2009.
http://www.themonthly.com.au/synesthesia-hearing-colours-tasting-sounds-david-eagleman-1826
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