This excerpt from The Accidental Mind by David J. Linden provides some interesting statistics on synesthesia:
Synesthetes have normal-to-above-normal intelligence and they appear typical in personality tests and general neurological exams. They do not hallucinate or show an unusual incidence of mental illness. Determining the number of synesthetes in the general population is difficult, but recent estimates have been as high as 1 in 200 people. Synesthesia is much more common in women and left-handed people. Although it is hard to exclude sampling bias, it appears, not surprisingly, that synesthetes tend to be drawn to the creative professions, such as writing, visual art, music, and architecture (p. 90).Although Linden writes that synesthesia occurs in 1 out of 200 people, Cytowic states in his podcast "Wednesday is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia" that at least some degree of synesthesia is actually quite common, occurring 1 out of 20 people! Determining the number of synesthetes is difficult because synesthetes are often embarrassed to share their abnormal ability, or they simply don't realize that what they experience is unique, and may exclaim in astonishment something along the lines of, "You mean the key of G isn't blue to you?!"
A hypothesis to explain synesthesia rests on prenatal pruning. When we are born, our brain is completely connected and the senses are wired together. Yet as we develop, certain connections are eliminated while others are retained. The hypothesis is that when connections are retained that normally shouldn't be (for example, from visual areas to auditory areas), the result is synesthesia. So perhaps we were all synesthetes once! Ramachandran proposes that we still are all slightly synesthetic, with his example of "kiki" and "buba" in his TED talk: VS Ramachandran on your mind.
Now to the good stuff: how does this have to do with creativity? Well, if you think about it, creative thinking involves putting together two seemingly unrelated concepts, such as in the use of metaphor. Alan Rothenberg, prominent researcher of creative processes, argues that janusian thinking, "bringing two opposites together in your mind, holding them there together at the same time, considering their relationships, similarities, pros and cons, and interplay, then creating something new and useful" is a crucial part of the creative process. If this be the case, then wouldn't abnormal connections in the brain that link together "unrelated" areas enhance creativity? More research on synesthesia and creativity to come!
There is a book called "A Mango Shaped Space". The main character has the exact same thing as you discribed in the 1st paragraph of this article. When she hears something she sees a color.
ReplyDeletePaolo Manzelli QBT: Nano-synaptic - communication & creativity
ReplyDeleteThe traditional model of communication synapse is too slow, and localized and non-interactive to still be useful in interpreting the intuition and creativity;
On September 4, 2014 14:13, Paul Manz wrote:
At the base of the project Quantum Creativity is the idea of proposing a model QBT (Quantum Brain Theory) in the synapses of the brain activity as it is necessary to explain the simultaneous communication in a synergistic way , since that it is the property of creative thinking. This idea may be developed through the extension of quantum science to the functioning of the brain and in particular through the introduction of entanglement as a possible solution to improve understanding of the plasticity of the brain, which is the basis of creativity '.
In fact, currently the functionality of neurotransmitter released in the synaptic cleft it is only interpreted so as to implement a temporary bond with postsynaptic receptors. The change of potential caused by the displacement of ions CA ++, allows the transfer of an information signal. Subsequently to allow a new variation of the local synaptic potential and transfer of a pulse of information it becomes a need to renewed electro-ion potential change so as to allow a subsequent transfer of one way information, between two neurons Therefore it becomes necessary that the temporary bond of the neurotransmitter should be broken and the neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft necessarily have to be degraded by enzymes or resorbed, in order that the electron-ion potential can notbe stabilized, because 'what this block any other possible variation of the of information pulses.
The traditional model of the activity of synaptic neurotransmission, here shortly summaryzed , it is well known, and it is largely theoretical, since the size of the nano-synaptic gaps, does not allow a precise visibility' of its dynamics. In addition this traditional model of the communication by means of chemical synapses has the serious limitation of being very slow in relation to the activity of thought. In essence this traditional model which is based on a local and unidiretional paths, it is not interactive, consequently does not allow to conceive the synergistic actions delocalized over vast areas of the brain which act simultaneously and synergistically, as would be desirable to obtain a better understanding of creativity of thought.
Till today the traditional neuro-science still seems to refer to such a simple but rather complicated model of an unidirectional& mechanical explanation of the activity of neurotransmitters in the chemical synapses. Such an explanation therefore leads to misinterpretation on the way of evoluttion of functioning of the brain, as they are based on a communication system that passively reconstructs information from uni-directionally to 'environment. The above leads to conceive cognitive extrapolations very questionable such as the objectivity of perception, which ultimately tends to allow the genesis of false ideas about the thought and his creative development.
An innovative model QBT "based on quantum science" by introducing the concept of quantum entanglement in 'communication activities of nano-synapses, will give an added value to the understanding of various puzzles (such as optical illusions, the visual perception during the dream. ..ecc ...) which to date are not easily interpretable by following the simplistic classical model but for the project quantum creativity would be more important to understand as fundamentals fof quantum cognition : intuition, creativity and holistic consciousness.
The quantum Brain Theory (QBT) in the program on "Quantum Creativity" is an hypothesis based on quantum entanglement , of electron or ion-charged superposition into the nano-dimension of synaptic clefts , that may play an important role in the brain's holistic communication and thinking function. Differently to the previous approaches on the tentative quantum explanation of the consciousness, the QBT could form the basis of an interpretation of thinking brain process, starting from the quantum Entangled biological interactions between energy and matter . So that the QBT It is not a simple collection of distinct ideas on the relationship between quantum biology and neurology, this because QBT tray to find the way to interpret our normal experience to think, in order to enhance a cognitive innovation strategy that avoid the arbitrary conceptual constrains ( as the separation between subject and object of perception ) of the obsolete tradition of machanical and/or quantum-mechanical science.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion QBT aim to develop a quantum creativity challenge , intrinsically capable of explaining the creative and holistic aspects of the thinking process in humans and in living systems. Paolo Manzelli egocreanet2012@gmail.com ; https://www.facebook.com/hariohmshantihi?ref=bookmarks
QUANTUM TRIADIC ENERGY ; http://www.edscuola.it/archivio/lre/triadic_quantum%20_energy.pdf;
ReplyDeletepaolo manzelli
«Quantum Brain Theory»
ReplyDeleteIl cambiamento quantistico dei «modelli predittivi» della percezione cerebrale influenza l’attività «creatrice» e costruttiva del cervello che amplia le possibilita’ di sviluppo delle conoscenze correlate alle necessita’ contemporanea di un cambiamento responsabile.
Le informazioni rilevate dall' ambiente vengono a correlarsi con nuovi modelli di pensiero capaci di analizzare e valutare con maggiore accuratezza gli «scenari di previsione» e quindi di creare modelli sempre più appropriati di come stanno effettivamente le cose nella realta'.
Modelli predittivi mentali piu’ avanzati possono pertanto costruire rinnovate strutture sinaptiche che ampliano le possibili interpretazioni creative di quanto facciamo esperienza e quindi permettono di trovare nuove soluzioni per superare situazioni di crisi.
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Vedi : http://www.psicolab.net/public/pdfart/11966.pdf;
http://www.ticonzero.name/1/scienza_e_arte_di_paolo_manzelli_6597996.html; EGOCEANET2012@GMAIL.COM