The consciousness enigma has long intrigued neuroscientists such as Christof Koch, author of "The Movie in Your Head." Imaging technology reveals what areas in the brain are buzzing with neural activity when a person is tracking a speeding car, looking at a loved one or eating a chocolate bar. Much like Uncle Al provided. But how does such incessant chemical signaling stitch vivid sensory impressions into an apparently seamless stream of consciousness? Is the "real world" we know merely an illusion created from those fragments...?
Clues about the processing of complex sensory inputs also come from brains that are not "normal." For people with synesthesia, for instance, sight, hearing and touch can blend in extraordinary ways. The sound of each note plunked on a piano might evoke a different color. Printed letters, words, numbers or even days on a calendar may flash with hues of their own. Flavor can mingle with shapes. The strums of a violin can feel like a luscious caress.
The condition bestows a unique gift not only on people who experience its marvels firsthand but also on researchers. In "Hearing Colors, Tasting Shapes," neuroscientists Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and Edward M. Hubbard describe insights they have gleaned from synesthesia's exotic world.
Sincerely,
