Science Questions

Synethesia and being blind.

I have an interesting from of synesthesia, I relate musical keys to tastes, eg the key of G is fruity, G minor is a slightly bitter beer. I was born blind could this be related? Paul - Cherry Hinton

There is someone who has perfect pitch because she related the pitch of notes to tastes in a similar way to you, so she could tell exactly which note she was listening to by what it tasted like.  Some people can taste shapes for example.  We think it is because of some crossed wiring in the brain so when you hear a note the nerves also stimulate the part of the brain that processes taste.  Synesthesia quite often gets passed down in families so some of your relatives may be similarly affected.  It is unlikely to be related to you being blind as a child.

July 2007