Biological Essay PSYC1091
Outlining the key features of synaesthesia and what can
be learnt from research about the biological basis of
synaesthesia.
Synaesthesia is a neurological phenomenon that only effects and small minority of the global
population (as of 2010). The condition is identified by the key component of merging sense
modalities that are not usually connected meaning that stimulation of one sense causes a response
from another, examples of this would be tasting words or hearing colours. Synaesthesia is a
condition that will last over a lifetime with the connected pairs being relatively stable throughout
with the condition itself is not harmful to the individual. However, some people can suffer a negative
experience from it despite the condition itself not causing the harm, individuals may suffer from
negative social experiences such as feelings of isolation or ridicule from their peers. People
diagnosed with the condition have reported the condition was noticeable in childhood with the
more common pairing being between lettering and colours, words appearing to be coloured when
not thus words then being categorised as green words or blue words etc (Simner et al, 2006). The
condition has also been found to be idiosyncratic, so each individual case has a different
experience/pairing of sensory modalities.
Research has been conducted into the duration of the phenomenon to investigate whether
it is truly a lifelong condition or not. So far studies have gathered results to suggest that it is lifelong
and that during early stages of childhood we are all show signs of being synaesthetic, suggesting it is
normal part of human perceptual development. Maurer and Mondloch (2004) were ones to conduct
some of the aforementioned studies into the subject. Their studies involved using young children
particularly in the ‘White Ball’ study they used children aged between 30-36 months (with no
diagnosis of synaesthesia) and compared their interpretation of what size and colour ball squeaked a
higher pitch to the interpretations from a group of synaesthetic adults. They found that the children
, Biological Essay PSYC1091
and the adults interpretations were very similar, an association between the small light-coloured
(white coloured) balls had a higher-pitched squeak. It was concluded that the children showed signs
of synaesthesia from birth and that the presence of it influences development into adulthood and
that it fades over the course of later development.
Synaesthesia can be explained by the crossing of the different brain areas, meaning that
processed information in the brain is being mixed up with other processing information. This can
also be known as ‘cross-talk’. There are two mechanisms that can explain to why this cross-talk
happens, these being ‘hyperconnectivity’ and ‘disinhibition’. Hyperconnectivity is when there are
extra connections in the brain (neurons), these connections are viewable in FMRI scans. The extra
connections cause information of a specific type to cross between areas that are not associated with
that specific type of information to processed more frequently i.e., information to do with sound
crossing over into the parietal lobe causing sound information to be then associated with taste
information. This is turn can explain to how and why the phenomenon of synaesthesia takes place.
Rouw and Scholte (2007) have done studies into the brain anatomy and have found evidence for
hyperconnectivity in people with the condition. Disinhibition at the neural level is to do with a
reduction in inhibition in the brain resulting in the overall lower activation threshold when a stimulus
comes through, this leads to the crossing of areas as multiple areas are easily stimulated thus
causing multiple processes to occur for the information.
If further research were to be carried out into synaesthesia it may prove to be vital in finding
a potential treatment help with the condition, as for some living with the condition maybe isolating
due to them being different and not being able to experience what everyone else does. So, by
finding a potential treatment this could improve the livelihood of those who are negatively affected
by it. As the condition itself is biological in nature treatments for it can encompass a multitude of
Outlining the key features of synaesthesia and what can
be learnt from research about the biological basis of
synaesthesia.
Synaesthesia is a neurological phenomenon that only effects and small minority of the global
population (as of 2010). The condition is identified by the key component of merging sense
modalities that are not usually connected meaning that stimulation of one sense causes a response
from another, examples of this would be tasting words or hearing colours. Synaesthesia is a
condition that will last over a lifetime with the connected pairs being relatively stable throughout
with the condition itself is not harmful to the individual. However, some people can suffer a negative
experience from it despite the condition itself not causing the harm, individuals may suffer from
negative social experiences such as feelings of isolation or ridicule from their peers. People
diagnosed with the condition have reported the condition was noticeable in childhood with the
more common pairing being between lettering and colours, words appearing to be coloured when
not thus words then being categorised as green words or blue words etc (Simner et al, 2006). The
condition has also been found to be idiosyncratic, so each individual case has a different
experience/pairing of sensory modalities.
Research has been conducted into the duration of the phenomenon to investigate whether
it is truly a lifelong condition or not. So far studies have gathered results to suggest that it is lifelong
and that during early stages of childhood we are all show signs of being synaesthetic, suggesting it is
normal part of human perceptual development. Maurer and Mondloch (2004) were ones to conduct
some of the aforementioned studies into the subject. Their studies involved using young children
particularly in the ‘White Ball’ study they used children aged between 30-36 months (with no
diagnosis of synaesthesia) and compared their interpretation of what size and colour ball squeaked a
higher pitch to the interpretations from a group of synaesthetic adults. They found that the children
, Biological Essay PSYC1091
and the adults interpretations were very similar, an association between the small light-coloured
(white coloured) balls had a higher-pitched squeak. It was concluded that the children showed signs
of synaesthesia from birth and that the presence of it influences development into adulthood and
that it fades over the course of later development.
Synaesthesia can be explained by the crossing of the different brain areas, meaning that
processed information in the brain is being mixed up with other processing information. This can
also be known as ‘cross-talk’. There are two mechanisms that can explain to why this cross-talk
happens, these being ‘hyperconnectivity’ and ‘disinhibition’. Hyperconnectivity is when there are
extra connections in the brain (neurons), these connections are viewable in FMRI scans. The extra
connections cause information of a specific type to cross between areas that are not associated with
that specific type of information to processed more frequently i.e., information to do with sound
crossing over into the parietal lobe causing sound information to be then associated with taste
information. This is turn can explain to how and why the phenomenon of synaesthesia takes place.
Rouw and Scholte (2007) have done studies into the brain anatomy and have found evidence for
hyperconnectivity in people with the condition. Disinhibition at the neural level is to do with a
reduction in inhibition in the brain resulting in the overall lower activation threshold when a stimulus
comes through, this leads to the crossing of areas as multiple areas are easily stimulated thus
causing multiple processes to occur for the information.
If further research were to be carried out into synaesthesia it may prove to be vital in finding
a potential treatment help with the condition, as for some living with the condition maybe isolating
due to them being different and not being able to experience what everyone else does. So, by
finding a potential treatment this could improve the livelihood of those who are negatively affected
by it. As the condition itself is biological in nature treatments for it can encompass a multitude of
