Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color
Published on: February 20, 2014
Prevalence, characteristics and a neurocognitive model of mirror-touch synaesthesia
Michael J Banissy1, Roi Cohen Kadosh, Gerrit W Maus
1Department of Cognitive, Perceptual and Brain Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK. m.banissy@ucl.ac.uk
Abstract:
In so-called 'mirror-touch synaesthesia', observing touch to another person induces a subjective tactile sensation on the synaesthete's own body. It has been suggested that this type of synaesthesia depends on increased activity in neural systems activated when observing touch to others. Here we report the first study on the prevalence of this variant of synaesthesia. Our findings indicate that this type of synaesthesia is just as common, if not more common than some of the more frequently studied varieties of synaesthesia such as grapheme-colour synaesthesia. Additionally, we examine behavioural correlates associated with the condition. In a second experiment, we show that synaesthetic experiences are not related to somatotopic cueing--a flash of light on an observed body part does not elicit the behavioural or subjective characteristics of synaesthesia. Finally, we propose a neurocognitive model to account for these characteristics and discuss the implications of our findings for general theories of synaesthesia.
More Related Videos
06:43The Crossmodal Congruency Task as a Means to Obtain an Objective Behavioral Measure in the Rubber Hand Illusion Paradigm
Published on: July 26, 2013
11:29Real-time Video Projection in an MRI for Characterization of Neural Correlates Associated with Mirror Therapy for Phantom Limb Pain
Published on: April 20, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Synesthesia
Somatosensation
Tactile and Chemical Senses
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
Sensory Modalities
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
Visual Agnosia