Synesthesia is a rare conscious experience in which stimulation of one sensory modality leads to a sensory experience in a second, unstimulated sensory modality. For example, seeing letters might lead some people to see colors. Others report that the days of the week or months of the year are arranged like a map in space. Still others report that hearing voices or music cause them to see colors, or that hearing words makes them taste foods...in fact, almost any sensory modality can be involved in synesthesia.

Our laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine is examining the neuroscience and genetics of synesthesia. If you experience any form of synesthesia, live in the Houston area, and would be interested in participating in our research, please contact us by e-mail or telephone.

Dr. David Eagleman
Director, Laboratory for Perception and Action
Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry
Baylor College of Medicine
1 Baylor Plaza
Houston, TX 77030

eagleman -AT- bcm.edu

713-798-6224
(when you call, please identify yourself as calling for the synesthesia study)

Want to know more about synesthesia and our study? Click on the picture -->

One type of synesthesia our laboratory studies is called spatial sequence synesthesia, in which synesthetes experience time units (such as weekdays or numberlines) in distinct spatial configurations. To quantify this, we have developed Virtual Reality software to allow spatial sequence synesthetes to place their time units in a virtual landscape, in relation to their body coordinates. Here are some sample shots:
Numberline   Weekdays   Months

Laboratory for Perception and Action
American Synesthesia Association