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Scientists say we can see sound
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-19 09:47 Extra-sensory power The discovery is likely unrelated to the rare experience of synesthesia, a bizarre condition experienced by a few people who can feel, here and taste colors. In synesthesia, for example, more complicated sensations combine at later stages of brain processing, so that just the mention of a color, a letter or a shape can automatically trigger the perception of a certain note. What most excites Barone about the new findings is the potential for "cortical plasticity" in sensory areas. For example, the blind, by definition, do not use the visual system to see. But they can, this research suggests, use it to hear. This may explain how blind people develop such advanced hearing skills and, similarly, why the deaf often possess superior sight, said Barone. The primary visual system is also directly activated by touch - perhaps helping us slap that mosquito before it stings. |
