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Meet Jason. One blow to the head changed the way he sees the world. Click to read about our case studies.
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Could autism be a perceptual disorder? The Intense World Theory holds that the condition is the result of a hyperreactive brain’s attempt to limit perceptual input. Click to find out why it might be a key to the cure.
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Like to read? Our lab has contributed to many publications on synesthesia and savant syndrome. Click to read some of our papers.
Exploring the link between synesthesia, savant syndrome and autism may advance our understanding of cognitive talent and lead to a cure.
About Us
We are a group of researchers in Miami with collaborators in Denmark, Finland, Houston, London and Vancouver. Our research seeks to understand the connection between the three related neurological conditions of synesthesia, savant syndrome and autism. Synesthesia involves a mixing of the senses—stimulation in one sensory or cognitive stream involuntarily, or automatically, leads to associated internal or external (illusory or hallucinatory) experiences in a second unstimulated sensory or cognitive system. Savant syndrome is a condition whereby an individual gains abnormal skills limited to one particular domain. Autism is a disorder that involves deficits in social interaction and communication. Although an individual may have only one of these conditions, many savants are synesthetes and exhibit autistic traits. Likewise, savantism is highly prevalent among autists. We believe that exploring the link between synesthesia, savant syndrome and autism may advance our understanding of cognitive talent and lead to a cure.
Read MoreMost Recent Thoughts
April 23, 2013 |
"I Can Easily Beat BlackJack"
There are people who can remember four decks of cards in a few minutes or recite Pi to 20,000 decimal points. Do these extreme memory abilities require savant skills or hours of relentless practice? read...
April 22, 2013 |
Do You Suffer From Emotional Pain or Anxiety? Pop a Tylenol
Emotional pain is often said to be very different from physical pain. Past studies have revealed that this is not quite right. The brain interprets physical and emotional pain in similar ways. A new study indicates that the brain also interprets anxiety as a kind of pain, and that these forms of psychological discomfort can be lessened by taking a Tylenol. read...
April 20, 2013 |
Micro-Inequities: 40 Years Later
In 1973 Mary Rowe of MIT coined the notion of micro-inequities: apparently small, hard-to-prove events that occur wherever people are perceived to be different. Rowe pointed out that micro-inequities, though they appear to be insignificant, can have seriously harmful effects when allowed to occur repeatedly. The problem of micro-inequities persists 40 years later. read...
April 17, 2013 |
Does Colorblindness Discriminate?
Some assume that colors appear the same to all of us. But research indicates that this isn’t the case. It turns out that white male privilege exists even in objective theories of perceptual color experience. read...