A case report of acquired synesthesia and heightened creativity in a musician after traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACT

Introduction

We report on a musician who acquired synesthesia, enhanced sensory experience, and improved creativity following traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Background

Creativity and synesthesia can be acquired from an injury, though both simultaneously has not been frequently documented.

Narrative

This case report details heightened creativity and developing synesthesia in a 66-year-old right-handed man following TBI. He developed a “compulsion” to write music. Synesthesia included “seeing” the notation and being able to name chord structures of music he heard, both of which were novel experiences. The Synesthesia Battery revealed a vision-sound synesthesia with higher than average level of Vividness of Visual Imagery (VVIQ-2), and “Absolute Pitch/Perfect Pitch.”

Patient Experience

The patient experienced an approximate four-month history of these changes, including musical compositions, developing perfect pitch, and enhanced sensory experience of typical phenomena.

Discussion

Both creativity and synesthesia depend on novel connections in the brain, and both have been reported following insults to the brain, including in degenerative conditions. However, the development of both simultaneously is not frequently reported. Evidence for the etiology of one prompting the other has not been described. Brain injury may result in increased creativity and synesthesia. Our fields would benefit from increased awareness of this possible relationship.

KEYWORDS:

• Creativity
• traumatic brain injury
• synesthesia
• music
• music composition

Acknowledgements

We are grateful that the patient and his wife are willing to share his story.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, LA, upon reasonable request.