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Neurophenomenology of induced and natural synaesthesia

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Version 2 2023-06-07, 08:29
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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 08:29 authored by David SchwartzmanDavid Schwartzman, Daniel Bor, Nicolas Rothen, Anil SethAnil Seth
People with synaesthesia have additional perceptual experiences, which are automatically and consistently triggered by specific inducing stimuli. Synaesthesia therefore offers a unique window into the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying conscious perception. A long-standing question in synaesthesia research is whether it is possible to artificially induce non-synaesthetic individuals to have synaesthesia-like experiences. Although synaesthesia is widely considered a congenital condition, increasing evidence points to the potential of a variety of approaches to induce synaesthesia-like experiences, even in adulthood. Here, we summarise a range of methods for artificially-inducing synaesthesia-like experiences, comparing the resulting experiences to the key hallmarks of natural synaesthesia which include consistency, automaticity and a lack of ‘perceptual presence’. We conclude that a number of aspects of synaesthesia can be artificially induced in non-synaesthetes. These data suggest the involvement of developmental and/or learning components to the acquisition of synaesthesia, and they extend previous reports of perceptual plasticity leading to dramatic changes in perceptual phenomenology in adults.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences

ISSN

0962-8436

Publisher

Royal Society, The

Issue

1787

Volume

374

Page range

1-10

Department affiliated with

  • Informatics Publications

Research groups affiliated with

  • Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-09-11

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-09-11

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-09-10

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