Synesthesia is a condition in which stimuli to one sense are perceived with another sense. For example, someone with synesthesia might hear a sound when they touch something.

Question

Synesthesia is a condition in which stimuli to one sense are perceived with another sense. For example, someone with synesthesia might hear a sound when they touch something.

In one to two sentences, explain how a stimulus to one type of receptor might be perceived as a stimulus to another type of receptor in people who have synesthesia.

Answer 1

In people with synesthesia, there is believed to be an increased level of connectivity between different regions of the brain, which allows stimulation of one type of receptor to produce a simultaneous reaction in another type of receptor. This cross-activation of senses results in the sensation of perceiving stimuli in a different way than most people do.