Neurophenomenology of induced and natural synaesthesia.
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences December 9, 2019 David J Schwartzman, Daniel Bor, Nicolas Rothen et al. 7 citations
Synaesthesia, where specific stimuli automatically trigger additional perceptual experiences, offers insight into conscious perception. While traditionally considered congenital, growing evidence shows that synaesthesia-like experiences can be induced in non-synaesthetes, even in adulthood. This review examines various methods for artificially inducing such experiences and compares them to natural synaesthesia's hallmarks: consistency, automaticity, and lack of 'perceptual presence'. The authors conclude that many aspects of synaesthesia can be induced, suggesting developmental and learning components in its acquisition and extending evidence of perceptual plasticity in adults.