Article: ‘Seeing Sounds or Hearing Colours: Scientists Narrow Search for Genes Associated With Synaesthesia’
Student Number: 42050416
Source: Cell Press (2009, February 6). ‘Seeing Sounds of Hearing Colors: Scientists Narrow Search for Genes Associated with Synesthesia.’ Available online from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205133728.htm
An example of how a synesthetic person may view letters and numbers (Credit: wikimedia commons, Public Domain Image)
Synaesthesia is a neurological condition, which effects less than 1% of the population (Cell Press, 2009). Individuals affected by this condition usually see colours as a response to hearing sounds. The stimulation of one of their sensory or cognitive areas, provokes an involuntary response in a second sensory of cognitive area. Recently a study was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, outlining the identification of specific chromosomal regions that are believed to be related to auditory-visual synaesthesia- a discovery that may help to understand the genes that underlie synaesthesia and provide a deeper understanding of cognitive development.
Dr. Julian E. Asher designed the study as a part of his PhD research at the Welcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, at the University of Oxford (Cell Press, 2009). Dr. Asher said that “Synaesthesia is known to run in families but the genetics of it are not well understood," which is why his study aimed at identifying genes related to auditory-visual Synaesthesia. The inquiry involved a genome-wide screen search for genes that were believed to be susceptible to auditory-visual Synaesthesia. During the study, the research team identified four candidate regions for investigation. One of these candidate regions was of particular interest, specifically the region on chromosome two that contains the strongest linkage (an area previously linked to autism). This was a highlight in the study because sensory and perceptual abnormalities, as seen in Synaesthesia, are common in autism conditions, in some case Synaesthesia is even used as a symptom to autism diagnosis.
The investigation of genes related to these auditory and visual perceptions was found to be more complex than originally thought, which may be due to the fact that there is not one group of genes that could affect the condition, rather a combination of multiple genes that are capable of many modes of inheritance. Nevertheless, the results have given researchers a stepping-stone into understanding the genetic cause for Synaesthesia, but the research has also benefited our understanding of the role of genes in human cognition and perception.
Websites for Further Information/Interest:
http://www.syn.sussex.ac.uk/ website with general information about Synaesthesia, studies, FAQs
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041123153855.htm Article Looking at which sounds produce different colours
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050528144241.htm Article looking at seeing colours in letters and numbers (when reading)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806140209.htm Article that explores a possible new type of Synaesthesia where people can ‘hear’ movement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLhuRIeHj6Q video showing one of the tests for movement, and a link to a new scientists article talking about this new type of Synaesthesia.
