Synesthesia Conference in Miami in October

We are pleased to announce that the Eleventh American Synesthesia Association Conference will be held at the University of Miami, Florida, on October 2 – 4, 2015, and we hope you will join us. 

We will post the Call for Papers on the ASA website very soon but we wanted to ask you personally to submit an abstract for consideration. 

Please see the information below, which includes the Call for Papers and Abstract information, and the request for a list of equipment you would need for your presentation. 

Please let us know if you are interested in sending an abstract by emailing Carol at rednote2@gmail.com 

Best regards, Brit Brogaard Sean Day Ed Hubbard Lawrence E. Marks Daphne Maurer Carol Steen 

CALL FOR PAPERS 

American Synesthesia Association 11th Annual Conference in 2015 Call for Papers The Board Members of the ASA are pleased to announce the Eleventh National Meeting of the American Synesthesia Association, Inc., which will take place October 2 ­– 4, 2015 at the University of Miami, Florida. 

The conference will be hosted by Dr. Berit Brogaard and the University of Miami, and made possible by the Board Members of the ASA. 

We invite the submission of abstracts from individuals wishing to make a presentation in any of the following formats: a scholarly paper, a discussion of creative aspects of synesthesia, a reading, a presentation of visual artwork, audio or video works. Abstract submissions can be made online: http://www.synesthesia.info/ This link will be available on the ASA website soon. 

Please submit an abstract no longer than 250 words. Include your name, email address, telephone contact number, and a short resume (no more than two pages) or web-link to same. The number of presentation slots will be limited, so there is no guarantee that a submission can be accepted. Our abstract review board is representative of diverse interests, talents, and approaches to exploring and experiencing synesthesia. It includes artists, linguists, historians, and scientists, some of whom are synesthetes themselves. 

This year’s conference Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Anina Rich from the Department  of Cognitive Science/Centre for Cognition & its Disorders (CCD), Macquarie University, Australia 

DEADLINE for Abstract Submission: Friday, May 15 NOTIFICATION by May 29, 2015.

New Synesthesia Blog

Our synesthesia lab has started a new blog on synesthesia. It will feature stories and news from our lab and hopefully from other synesthesia researchers around the world. Kristian Marlow has just posted the first post. Feel free to check it out!

New Synesthesia Lab Site

Check out our new synesthesia lab site, which Kristian Marlow created. Feel free to click the "like" button on the site :-)

Synesthesia Joke

A grapheme-color synesthete asked a non-synesthete: "What color is your 'P'?". The other person puzzled said "Yellow?" (Thanks to Lidell Simpson and Carol Steen)

Encyclopedia Entry on Color Synesthesia

I just posted a draft of my encyclopedia entry on color synesthesia. The link is here. Feel free to send comments.

Man becomes genius after head injury

Nightline did a feature on our case study, JP, who has acquired synesthesia and savant syndrome

Seeing as a Non-Sensory Relation: The Case from Synesthesia and Visual Imagery

A friend of mine recently asked me whether I thought synesthesia has any philosophical consequences or is just an independently interesting phenomenon. I think it has numerous philosophical consequences. In this paper I outline some consequences of synesthesia for the analysis of the concept of seeing. This is still just a rough draft. Comments are welcome.

The Synnie Gang from Toward a Science of Consciousness in Stockholm, 2011

Group picture of the synesthesia geeks from Toward a Science of Consciousness in Stockholm, 2011. Back: Michael Sollberger, Engelbert Winkler, Dirk Proekl (hiding). Second row: Patricia Lynne Duffy, Jason Padgett, Berit Brogaard, Carrie C. Firman. Third row: Alexandra Kirschner, Nancy Clark. Front: Neil Theise, William C. Bushell, Maureen Seaberg. Thanks, Maureen, for organizing the workshop.

The Superhuman Mind

I am in beautiful Stockholm at the Toward a Science of Consciousness. Our session on Tuesday will take place in the fabulous Aula Magna Hall (see picture). Stop by if you are in the neighborhood. Danish National Radio will also broadcast a feature on this. Here is the title and abstract of my talk (for slides, click here). This is also the title of my next (academic) book.

The Superhuman Mind: From Synesthesia to Savant Syndrome

Savant syndrome is a condition in which a person has a talent that is so developed that he can perform what may seem like impossible mathematical, linguistic or artistic tasks. Blind Tom, a blind autistic slave in Georgia in the nineteenth century, was an amazing pianist and performer. Stephen Wiltshire drew an extremely accurate sketch of a four square mile section of London, including twelve major landmarks and two hundred other buildings after a twelve minute helicopter ride through the area. For any date you pick, the "human computers" Kay and Fro can report what they had for dinner, what they did on that day, what weekday it was, what their favorite TV-host wore on that day, and so on. Oliver Sack's autistic twins John and Michael computed prime numbers with more than 6 digits. The real rain man Kim Peeks was a living encyclopedia. There is currently no widely accepted explanation of the superhuman abilities of savants. What we do know is that most of them are synesthetes or autists and have left-brain injuries and particularly well-developed right-brain areas. Neurobiologist Stanislas Dehaene has proposed that savant synesthetes don't really differ that much from the rest of us. He claims that what distinguishes a mathematical genius from a normal person is an obsession with numbers and lots and lots of training. I provide empirical evidence against this hypothesis and offer a new theory of how savant synesthetes manage to complete ostensively impossible tasks.

Color Workshop and Conference

The deadline for early career participants in our deviant color workshop and conference in Vancouver in August has been extended. Go ahead and apply.

Synesthesia and Savant Syndrome

Synesthesia is sometimes connected with special talents. For example, some people with synesthesia are excellent artists or good with numbers. Some have what is called 'savant syndrome'. Savant syndrome is often accompanied by autism but it can also be acquired after an accident or an assault or by (what seems to be) sheer coincidence. If you think you have a special talent that was not the result of years of training, or you think you have synesthesia and a special talent, you may qualify for our research project about synesthesia and savant syndrome. To find out if you qualify, take the survey linked to below, or send an email to: brogaardb@umsl.edu. You need not live in St. Louis to participate.

Click here to take the survey

Report on Acquired Synesthesia and Savant Syndrome

I just finished an initial report on a case of acquired synesthesia and savant syndrome. The report is available here.

Accidental Genius

Here is a follow-up news clip about a subject I work with, who has synesthesia and savant syndrome. The first news clip can be found here.
 

Synesthesia Water Color

Alex Heim, a synesthete who also has migraine auras, just sent me this water color of one of his synesthetic auras. The second picture is the water color digitally superimposed on a picture to show how the colors are in front of his vision but not blocking it out. The second picture was also created by Alex Heim.

Synesthesia and Non-Synesthesia Subjects

I am now looking for people with number-color synesthesia for spatial response time tests. You don't have to be located in the St. Louis area to take these tests.

I am also looking for non-synesthetes for an fMRI study that will be carried out at Washington University, St. Louis. The scan will take 2 hours and you will be asked to complete some rather trivial tasks (e.g. studying a photo) while inside the machine.

fMRI is a non-invasive procedure that measures changes in blood flow corresponding to activity in the brain. Radio waves redirect the axes of spinning protons in a strong magnetic field that is produced by passing an electric current through wire coils. A computer processes the signals and generates a series of images.

The procedure does not depend on ionizing radiation, there is no radiation exposure, and short-term exposure to magnetic fields and radio waves is considered harmless. fMRI scans therefore have no known side-effects and are not associated with any discomfort.

Only very few people should not get an fMRI. These include people who may be pregnant, people with whole-body tattoos and people with an internal defibrillator or pacemaker, an ear implant or clips on brain aneurysms. Platinum implants in other parts of the body do not compromise your safety during the procedure.

To qualify for this study, you must be located in the St. Louis area or be willing to travel to the St. Louis area. If you are interested, please email me at: brogaardb@umsl.edu

Drawing of a Migraine Aura

Alex Heim is a synesthete who also has migraine auras. He just sent me this drawing of one of his migraine auras.

Short Film on Synesthesia

One of the young synesthetic savants I work with in Australia just created this film on synesthesia.

New Synaesthesia Survey

I have uploaded a new synaesthesia survey to our synaesthesia page. The results of the survey will be used to improve the design of our synaesthesia studies at the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

If you are a synaestete, and you are interested in contributing to our ongoing synaesthesia studies, you can take our advanced synaesthesia survey by clicking below.

Click here to take our advanced synaesthesia survey

If you are interested in becoming a participant in our studies at the University of Missouri, St. Louis but you are not sure if you qualify, we have created a survey that will allow us to determine whether you do. The only required information is your email address. You do not have to be located in St. Louis to qualify.

Click here to take the basic survey

If you have migraine and synaesthesia, you can take our migraine survey by clicking here.

Synaesthesia Subjects

We are still looking for additional color synaestetes for our ongoing synaesthesia project. We are currently studying higher synaesthetes with thought-induced color experiences. If thinking about the number 3 or the letter D almost always induces green (or some other color), you may be a higher color synaesthete and may qualify for our study. Other higher synaesthetes that may qualify include people who experience color when reasoning or making decisions, people who experience color when judging whether an act or a person is good or bad, and people who experience color when they consciously feel shame or fear. If you have other sensory experiences during thought-processes or conscious feelings, such as taste experiences or sound experiences, we would also like to hear from you. You need not be located in St. Louis to qualify. If you think you may qualify, contact the St. Louis Synaesthesia Research Group via email at brogaardb@umsl.edu