The Merit of Synesthesia for Consciousness Research
Frontiers in Psychology December 2, 2015 T. V. van Leeuwen, W. Singer, D. Nikolić
Synesthesia, where sensory stimuli or cognitive concepts trigger additional perceptual experiences, offers a valuable window into consciousness. The authors argue that studying synesthesia helps identify mental and physiological processes underlying conscious experience. They review research emphasizing the role of semantics in forming synesthetic associations in the brain. The interplay between semantics and sensory input, particularly using ambiguous stimuli to induce synesthesia, can aid in studying neural correlates of consciousness. Additionally, alterations in brain networks and functional connectivity associated with synesthesia provide insights into consciousness.