Seeing Sound: Molecular Clues for Synesthesia Discovered
Link: http://neurosciencenews.com/synesthesia-molecular-8592/
Summary: Synesthesia is when one experiences the stimulation of one sense with a second sensory pathway. In other words, people with synethesia, or synesthetes, may be able to see, taste, or feel sounds. While it has been known that synethesia can run in families, researchers have recently identified six genes that modify sensory experiences and may alter brain connectivity in synesthetes.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institude for Psycholinguistics and the University of Cambridge used genome sequencing to analyze the DNA of three families with known synesthetes. Through this process they were able to perfectly match the inheritance of synesthesia in the families by identifying DNA changes that alters the way genes code for proteins. Ultimately what was discovered was that across the three families there were differences in the genes involved in axonogenesis (The formation of new axons) and cell migration which results in synesthesia.
Reflection:
I've known about synethesia for years, but spent more time trying to imagine what it would be like rather than asking myself the question of "How?" or "Why?" it happens. Since we've recently studied sensation in class, I figured it would be a great time to find an article on synesthesia. The article is relatively short and does a good job of explaining the recent publication, but provides a minimal explanation on what synesthesia is and its prevalence. It comes as no surprise that synesthesia is a polygenic trait, but what was very surprising was finding out that it is more common for people with autism spectrum disorder or savant abilities to also have synesthesia. With more advances in technology and more developments in genome research we can continue to discover how genetic variations can influence our lives.
This topic is very fascinating, i've never heard about or experienced anybody that had synesthesia. It kind of blows my mind how a person can taste color and see sound. I have so many questions about this condition. For example, I wonder if people with this condition if it contributes to their intellectual abilities? Does this condition help or harm a persons memory? How many people in the world does this effect? All these unanswered questions have me wanting to learn more about this condition.
ReplyDeleteSarah, according to the APA, one out of ever twothousand people are synethetes. As for the contribution to their intellectual abilities I don't see it having a hindering effect on intellectual ability, but synethetes often report sensory overload, which results in exhaustion from the stimulation.
ReplyDeleteI had learned about synesthesia in previous psychology classes and had always found it extremely fascinating. I always wondered what it would be like to be able to see the sounds you hear, what that would look like for someone. What I did not know was there there were actual changes in ones DNA to make it so that they have synesthesia. What I do want to know is if synesthesia can be passed down through families or whether it is a random mutation. Diabetes runs in my boyfriends family and seems to skip generations, I am interested to know if synesthesia would be similar?
ReplyDeleteThis article was very interesting to me because I have never heard of Synthesia however I remember somthing similar being displayed in a show called Empire. Lucious Lyon suffered from Amnesia after a terrible accident and his therapist combined his love for music with painting as a therapeutic activity. For every notes Lucius heard, he saw a color and would paint as he listened to music. I am aware that TV shows arent really the best biological resources, but this makes me wonder (after also reading the blog post on music and memor) if there is a connection between synthesia patients and improved memory due to their activated sensory pathways.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting article that definitely made me want to explore the topic further. As you said, I have known about synesthesia in a very limited sense, and always wondered what it feels like to experience those phenomena. However, I never knew it was passed through generations. I would be curious to learn how much of a role nurture plays in the development of synesthesia. Your article mentioned brain imaging that suggested neural circuits may be wired differently and developed during early childhood. This could maybe open up a line of questioning about whether there is a threshold for this phenomenon, as there is for many mental illnesses, meaning that if a person is predisposed genetically to develop synesthesia, is there a role that environment plays in whether it actually develops during childhood? If this is the case, I wonder what factors could influence that development and if early identification of the genes could allow parents to influence the likelihood of developing synesthesia.
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