Exploring Implications of Synesthesia on Memory

Introduction: Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon experienced by a minority of individuals, with estimates ranging from 1 in 200 1 to 1 in 250,000. 2 Synesthesia may be understood as perceiving one sensory stimulus (such as sound) by more than one sensory modality (such as sight, taste, touch, or smell). 3 This would elicit, for example, a sound being both heard and tasted at the same time. Synesthesia is not to be confused with metaphorical thinking such as using the expression 'time flies' or associating a certain event with a memory every time the event occurs. Descriptions of synesthesia may sound baffling, such as the sound of someone's voice evoking the taste of sour cream for the synesthete, or person who experiences synesthesia. The synesthetic experience is unique for each synesthete, meaning that the sound of the same voice may evoke the taste of sour cream for one synesthete but the taste of rusty nails for another. 4 Regardless of the infinite amount of manifestations synesthesia may take on, it remains consistent for the synesthete in the sense that the same stimulus will evoke the same synesthetic 2 response at any time throughout his or her life. 5 Synesthesia may occur through any combination of the senses, joining more than two senses simultaneously for some synesthetes, and less commonly, uniting all five senses 6. The world of science has known about synesthesia for at least three centuries, yet only within the past three decades has synesthesia begun to be appropriately explored as a topic of research. 7 Synesthesia is of scientific interest to disciplines as varied as molecular genetics, developmental biology, psychology, and neurobiology. The intrigue of synesthesia stems not only from its curiousness, but its scientific potential to reveal how the brain processes information perceived through the senses. The value in knowing how sensory processing functions in the brain lies in satisfying neuroscientific inquisitiveness as well as leading to probable aid for those suffering from neurological disorders and diseases. A major area of research regarding synesthesia is that of determining its implications for those who experience it on a constant and consistent basis; synesthetes. Research in this area allows insight regarding similarities and differences, both on the neurological and perceptual levels, between synesthetes and non-synesthetes, as well as among different types of synesthetes. Scientists and synesthetes alike are curious to know what advantages or disadvantages accompany the synesthetic experience. …