Cross my Plasticity and Hope to Perceive

Episode 2 of the Crossmodal podcast, hosted by The Crossmodal Lab led by Nico Ekanem, titled "Cross my Plasticity and Hope to Perceive" was published on July 2, 2021 and runs 76 minutes.

July 2, 2021 ·76m · Crossmodal

Summary

Since the days of the blind poet Homer, who spun fantastical tales of gods and heroes beloved by generations, it has often been assumed that individuals deprived of one sense (such as sight or hearing) will develop enhanced perception through their remaining modalities. But to what extent is this belief true? And is the repurposing of neurons from one sensory system to serve the needs of the others, a phenomenon known as "crossmodal plasticity," more common than we realize? Returning guest panelists Dr. John Bigbee and Dr. Alex Meredith join us from VCU's Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology to shed light on these questions...and the reality proves to be more complicated than those neat, tidy explanations from our introductory neuroscience textbooks. This episode also includes a discussion of synesthesia, as well as interviews with two synesthetes who graciously agreed to share their experiences with us: Justin Kauflin, a jazz pianist who lost his vision at a young age but now associates sounds with particular colors, and Kristiana, a dentist and friend of one of our production team members, who sees highly-specific images when she hears someone's name. From echolocation to language development to feline facial recognition, our second installment of Crossmodal has it all! Don't miss out!

Episode Description