Abstract
BackgroundSynesthesia is a sensory phenomenon where certain domain-specific stimuli trigger additional sensations of e.g. color or texture. The condition occurs in about 4% of the general population, but is overrepresented in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), where it might also be associated with the presence of prodigious talents.Case presentationHere we describe the case of a young transsexual man with Asperger Syndrome, synesthesia and a prodigious talent for foreign language acquisition. In our case, not only letters, numbers, spoken words, music, noises, weekdays and months lead to highly consistent, vivid color sensations but also his own and others’ emotions, geometric shapes, any mathematical symbol, and letters from an unfamiliar alphabet (Hebrew). These color associations seem to aid categorization, differentiation and storage of information and might thereby contribute to the young man’s language acquisition ability. We investigated the young man’s structural brain connectivity in comparison to adults with or without ASD, applying global fiber tracking to diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data. The case presented with increased connectivity, especially between regions involved in visual and emotion processing, memory, and higher order associative binding regions. An electroencephalography experiment investigating synesthetic color and shape sensations while listening to music showed a negligible occipital alpha suppression, indicating that these internally generated synesthetic sensations derive from a different brain mechanism than when processing external visual information.ConclusionsTaken together, this case study endorses the notion of a link between synesthesia, prodigious talent and autism, adding to the currently still sparse literature in this field. It provides new insights into the possible manifestations of synesthesia in individuals with ASD and its potential contribution to prodigious talents in people with an otherwise unexceptional cognitive profile. Additionally, this case impressively illustrates how synesthesia can be a key element not only of sensory perception but also social and emotional processing and contributes to existing evidence of increased brain connectivity in association with synesthesia.
Highlights
Synesthesia is a sensory phenomenon where certain domain-specific stimuli trigger additional sensations of e.g. color or texture
Taken together, this case study endorses the notion of a link between synesthesia, prodigious talent and autism, adding to the currently still sparse literature in this field
Here we present the case of LP, a young, transsexual man diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, who experiences multiple types of synesthesia and seems to have an extraordinary talent for learning languages
Summary
Discussion Here we present the case of LP, a young, transsexual man diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, who experiences multiple types of synesthesia and seems to have an extraordinary talent for learning languages. LP showed increased brain connectivity of the insula, where altered gray matter structure has been reported in projector synesthetes in comparison to controls [21]. He showed increased connectivity of regions previously indicated in associator synesthetes (precentral gyrus, precuneus and middle frontal gyrus) [21]. While we compared 30s long stimulus conditions in line with common approaches to assess state alpha, Cohen et al [22] examined event-related spectral changes They compared groups of synesthetes to controls, targeted grapheme-color synesthesia rather than music synesthesia, had both inducing and non-inducing stimuli and participants performed a task during the assessment. The case of LP impressively demonstrates how synesthesia can be a key element for emotional experience, perception and ‘being-in-the-world’
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