On today’s episode, Ali asks Asif about the phenomenon of synesthesia (2:33). Asif gives the definition of the term and gives several examples of synesthesia. He discusses how it is thought to possibly be genetic, and describes how common it is (occurs in 1 in 2000 people!). Asif talks about acquired cases (i.e. from strokes) as well as the theories as to what causes this phenomenon (disinhibited feedback between regions vs the amount or pattern of dendritic and/or axonal connections). Then Asif gives Ali a quiz on famous people who are reported to have synesthesia (17:44). 

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Show Notes:

• Everyday fantasia: The world of synesthesia: https://www.apa.org/monitor/mar01/synesthesia
• What is synesthesia? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-synesthesia/
• Survival of the Synesthesia Gene: Why Do People Hear Colors and Taste Words?: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001205
• A critical review of the neuroimaging literature on synesthesia: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00103/full
• Chapter 13 - Synesthesia: The current state of the field: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128124925000139
• How A Stroke Can Make A Shade Of Blue Disgusting And The James Bond Theme Orgasmic: https://www.businessinsider.com/brain-injury-causes-synesthesia-2013-7
• When the Senses Become Confused: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/health/25brai.html
• From the thalamus with love: A rare window into the locus of emotional synesthesia: https://n.neurology.org/content/81/5/509.short?sid=ae421f6d-c1fe-48a4-9ddc-16b9e6cd91b8

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