Grapheme-color synesthesia, wherein achromatic graphemes are experienced as chromatic, presents insights into how the brain integrates subjective experiences. The neural correlates of grapheme-color synesthesia are highly debated, with the field full of inconsistent results. To compile the existing functional magnetic resonance imaging literature on grapheme-color synesthesia, the present thesis combined a systematic review with two coordinate-based Activation Likelihood Estimation meta-analyses. Two separate analyses were conducted to see whether investigating synesthesia through chromatic stimuli and incongruency effects would lead to the same activation patterns as investigating it through achromatic stimuli. Therefore, the main analysis included ten studies and more heterogeneity through chromatic stimuli, while the strict analysis had five studies but only achromatic stimuli and thus less heterogeneity. These analyses found convergent activation in the parietal lobe in the main analysis and the frontal lobe in the strict analysis. Although only limited interpretations of the results can be made, the present meta-analyses provided insights into the current state of research on grapheme-color synesthesia. Because the lack of comparability and methodological consensus in the field of synesthesia is evident, further research efforts are encouraged for the field to reach a state where truly convergent findings can be detected.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:his-23915 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Karjalainen, Sara, Martini, Adamo |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för biovetenskap |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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