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Related Concept Videos

Synesthesia01:27

Synesthesia

Synesthesia is a remarkable condition where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with synesthesia experience a blending or crossing of their senses, such as sight and sound, leading to cross-modal sensations. In this condition, the stimulation of one sense, such as hearing a number or musical note, triggers an experience of another sense, like sensing a specific color, taste, or smell. People...
Overview of Synapses01:25

Overview of Synapses

A synapse is a specialized structure where two neurons connect, allowing them to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron. It is the point of communication between neurons. The term "synapse" is derived from the Greek word "synapsis," which means "conjunction." The entire process of neural communication revolves around the synapse. When activated, a neuron releases chemicals known as neurotransmitters into the synapse. These neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to...
Electrical Synapses01:28

Electrical Synapses

Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...
The Synapse02:47

The Synapse

Neurons communicate with one another by passing on their electrical signals to other neurons. A synapse is the location where two neurons meet to exchange signals. At the synapse, the neuron that sends the signal is called the presynaptic cell, while the neuron that receives the message is called the postsynaptic cell. Note that most neurons can be both presynaptic and postsynaptic, as they both transmit and receive information.
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color
10:27

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color

Published on: February 20, 2014

Defining synaesthesia.

Julia Simner1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK. j.simner@ed.ac.uk

British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
|January 11, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Developmental synaesthesia research challenges the idea of a

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Developmental synaesthesia is characterized by unusual sensory experiences.
  • Existing behavioral definitions struggle to encompass the 61 reported variants.
  • Conflicting assumptions exist regarding the nature of synaesthesia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To address divisive assumptions in contemporary synaesthesia definitions.
  • To challenge the notions of synaesthesia as a 'merging of senses', temporally consistent, or spatially extended.
  • To explore the benefits of a neurobiological definition over a behavioral one.

Main Methods:

  • Review and analysis of contemporary definitions of synaesthesia.
  • Examination of existing evidence regarding synaesthetic associations.
  • Conceptual exploration of neurobiological underpinnings.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests synaesthesia may not be a simple 'merging of senses'.
  • Synaesthetic associations might not be consistently stable over time.
  • The spatial extent of synaesthetic associations requires further investigation.

Conclusions:

  • Rethinking behavioral definitions is necessary.
  • A shift towards neurobiological definitions could redefine synaesthesia's boundaries.
  • Further research is needed to understand the complex nature of synaesthesia.