When Brain Damage Unlocks The Genius WithinDerek Amato stood above the shallow end of the swimming pool and called for his buddy in the Jacuzzi to toss him the football. Then he launched himself through the air head first arms outstretched. He figured he could roll onto one shoulder as he snagged the ball then slide across the water. It was a grave miscalculation. The tips of Amato's fingers brushed the pigskin then his head slammed into the pool's concrete floor with such bone-jarring force that it felt like an explosion. He pushed to the surface clapping his hands to his head convinced that the water streaming down his cheeks was blood gushing from his ears. At the edge of the pool Amato collapsed into the arms of his friends Bill Peterson and Rick Sturm. It was 2006 and the 39-year-old sales trainer was visiting his hometown of Sioux Falls South Dakota from Colorado where he lived. As his two high-school buddies drove Amato to his mother's home he drifted in and out of consciousness insisting that he was a professional baseball player late for spring training in Phoenix. Amato's mother rushed him to the emergency room where doctors diagnosed Amato with a severe concussion. They sent him home with instructions to be woken every few hours.It would be weeks before the full impact of Amato's head trauma became apparent: 35 percent hearing loss in one ear headaches memory loss. But the most dramatic consequence appeared just four days after his accident. Amato awoke hazy after near-continuous sleep and headed over to Sturm's house. As the two pals sat chatting in Sturm's makeshift music studio Amato spotted a cheap electric keyboard. Without thinking he rose from his chair and sat in front of it. He had never played the piano never had the slightest inclination to. Now his fingers seemed to find the keys by instinct and to his astonishment ripple across them. His right hand started low climbing in lyrical chains of triads skipping across melodic intervals and arpeggios landing on the high notes then starting low again and building back up. His left hand followed close behind laying down bass picking out harmony. Amato sped up slowed down let pensive tones hang in the air then resolved them into rich chords as if he had been playing for years. When Amato finally looked up Sturm's eyes were filled with tears.  Amato played for six hours leaving Sturm's house early the next morning with an unshakable feeling of wonder. He searched the Internet for an explanation typing in words like gifted and head trauma. The results astonished him. Amato searched the internet for an explanation typing in words like gifted and head trauma. the results astonished him.He read about Tony Cicoria an orthopedic surgeon in upstate New York who was struck by lightning while talking to his mother from a telephone booth. Cicoria then became obsessed with classical piano and taught himself how to play and compose music. After being hit in the head with a baseball at age 10 Orlando Serrell could name the day of the week for any given date. A bad fall at age three left Alonzo Clemons with permanent cognitive impairment Amato learned and a talent for sculpting intricate replicas of animals.Finally Amato found the name Darold Treffert a world-recognized expert on savant syndrome a condition in which individuals who are typically mentally impaired demonstrate remarkable skills. Amato fired off an e-mail; soon he had answers. Treffert now retired from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine diagnosed Amato with acquired savant syndrome. In the 30 or so known cases ordinary people who suffer brain trauma suddenly develop almost-superhuman new abilities: artistic brilliance mathematical mastery photographic memory. One acquired savant a high-school dropout brutally beaten by muggers is the only known person in the world able to draw complex geometric patterns called fractals; he also claims to have discovered a mistake in pi. A stroke transformed another from a mild-mannered chiropractor into a celebrated visual artist whose work has appeared in publications like The New Yorker and in gallery shows and sells for thousands of dollars.The neurological causes of acquired savant syndrome are poorly understood. But the Internet has made it easier for people like Amato to connect with researchers who study savants and improved brain-imaging techniques have enabled those scientists to begin to probe the unique neural mechanisms at work. Some have even begun to design experiments that investigate an intriguing possibility: genius lies in all of us just waiting to be unleashed. Finally
a piece which balances case studies scientific observations and opinions. Too many articles on PS are a bit heavy on two of the three. Given my psychonaut experiences in college I would have to agree that there are many dormant areas of the brain for which the bridges have just decayed. I used to be into increasing neuron-plasticity with healthy amounts of nootropics and phenylethylamines. For all of the hard work and reconstruction it only allows me to develop new talents faster(using the Ebbinghaus 55-55 method) rather than to refine hidden and dormant abilities.
Removing the child locks on one's brain through brain injury or hallucinogen use may seem like the shortcut and believe me it does unlock artistic abilities but the cost of bypassing the right hemisphere wrecks havoc on one's sense of mental balance. Someday we may find ways to unlock the savant potential in everyone; however I suspect that the abilities gained will come at the cost of the annihilation of other types of logical processing being done by the brain.Its funny how they prove that the learned patterns are the biggest impediment to being a genius.Alonzo is employed at my work.  He comes in for a hour or two every couple days and does simple tasks that he enjoys and feels proud of.  We sell restaurant equipment supplies and parts... he usually screws on tops to salt and pepper shakers rolls strip curtains (which he calls popsicles)and a few other things.  He has been with us since April of 1998 and ALWAYS has a smile on his face.  I have had the honor of shipping his sculptures to customers and am blown away at the amount of detail that each one has.  He's an amazing guy.1.7 Million brain trauma deaths per year (US only)...  estimated 7-10 savants alive worldwide.  Not the best odds.So PopSci finally got around to watching Ingenious Minds on the Science Channel eh?Ok.  This says that there have been around 30 or so of these people recognized as acquired savants.  Yet we know that there are quite likely some more that are not discussed here and in any real analysis of this acquired trait they must be recognized due to the real danger they represent.  Genius serial killers and criminals.
We know that they often take these exact types of head shots when young and had often never exhibited any of the associated behaviors of a serial killer nor of genius before.
So to me this is the downside of acquired savantism.  You could end up real bright in a couple things and be theoretically capable of great things and never end up with any decent thing in life ever again.
Please don't go knockin yerselves in the head with a rolling pin.  It probably won't work.In a strange way it kind of backs up the stories of the ancients who told of the gods who came from the heavens and created man. The gods then realized that we were too smart for THEIR own good and then manipulated us to dumb us down. All that suppressed intelligence is in there in our brains just waiting for something to unsuppress it.As a victim of anoxic brain damage I can tell you my cognitive process change.   The damage was not as severe it too years to diagnose but the change was still something I have to adapt to and deal with on a daily basis.My IQ is the same but I process information differently and my reaction to stress is disproportionate.What we (and medical professionals also) need to take away from this is that although not all of us become savants brain damage usually requires personal reorganization.  We also have to realize that disabled also usually implies other-abled.I almost died from anaphylactic shock.  What bothers me the most is that I had to wait over five years for a diagnosis of brain damage.   Shouldn't patients be advised when they experience concussion or anyphylaxsis  to watch for changes in cognition and responses to environmental stimuli?I'm also asthmatic.  When I'm having trouble breathing and my brain gets less oxygen my concentration is affected and my thoughts get less organized.People under the influence of drugs also experience temporary or in some cases permanent reorganization of cognitive process.The importance of understanding this phenomenon is not limited to savants but to anyone dealing with physical changes to the way their brain works.OK solved that 9 dots puzzle in about 5 minutes without every knowing about it or goggling the answer wonder if someone bonked me on the head and i didn't remember it?  :)The carrot. You are going to use this article to reduce suicide rates. My IQ is down but my understanding as if in feeling has been freaky. I believe you will find a corollary in individuals recovering from long term opoid dependence and increased neural plasticity also with a High correlation for innovative rehabilitative techniques. So many things became so obvious and simple to me while other things became more challenging. Started at 144 on Stanford Binet in youth and Tried to develop my brain. Was in Blood Research at WRAIR injured neck (never deployed) chronic pain and Multiple pain meds. I discontinued all the opiates over a year ago now but still live with chronic pain. My mind is Not the same using photography as an adjunctive form of self directed diversive focus relative to pain management and as a form of creative play for physical rehabilitation I ended up with over 40000 photos in around a year. Hyper senssory awareness is a developable trait. Social Interaction Therapy has merit to reduce feelings of separation anxiety in our existing military populations through social media (which can easily be configured to notify changes in mental state). I can see as if feel others allude to empathy. In a little over a year over 40000 photos on facebook the poetry the writing... Because I still deal with chronic pain my sleep may avg. as little as a few hours a day for the last year have felt like the guy from Powder even my rate of speech has frequently increased noticed relative to others perceptions. Have no particular delusion of Grandeur and do not believe that I am any more than I am. Always had Empathy tried to understand the mind the big and the small and more than most can imagine. Neck injury 2005 artificial disk 2007 discontinued opiods for Pain Mgmnt. Noveber 2011. Got on facebook got camera realized people weren't seeing what I was seeing (from studying everything from micro to macro relative to science) tried to develop creative visualization to see (sense) energy if you will but now instead of being somewhat of a forced conceptualization I Many times look at something tree animal writing... and see some unique form of structure. I Know that I am a by-product of my development but something did change. I have the Feeling that I'm supposed to change the world and I know that it is true. I have no personal delusion that I am smarter than anyone else Have met many smarter people in my life. Without going into detailin a thought rock climbers accelerate neuronal growth in areas of brain associated with balance agility and some fine motor control (read once on Twitter I think maybe a year ago) sleep deprivation can have suppressive effect on the parts of the mind responsible for rational thought ( this Could explain some of my noticeable effects Yes ) so You may rightly question I would. I can't recall everything I learned but I feel much of it. Would you like to reduce global mortality? Change healthcare? Make our communities stronger? Our Country? I honestly Feel that I can help a lot of people. The science backs Most of what I seem to feel now. If I can help you let me know. Maybe not the stringent definition of acquired savant syndrome but My understanding (or lack thereof lol)has the thought that I'm supposed to Help change the world. Sincerely Winston Melvin. I didn't really correct this on purpose everything here revolves around the same feeling and I think with the right pople that I might be able to help them weave the science together much of what I mention. It's hard to get people to Understand the IMPLICATIONS. Whether from opiod recovery novel rehabilatative techniques involving creative play created increased neuronal growth (development of neural plsticity) a related suppressive effect on the mind from chronic pain and effects of sleep deprivation the picture is much broader than I can explain here but I'm willing to try As able. Whoever is most knowledgeable in this research should probably contact me 850-867-3216 sincerely Winston Melvin ? I believe you may also find some possible confirmation of this in the writings of Robert Anson Heinlein and too many others to imagine. Have a wonderful weekend.I'd have to agree with Snyder's idea.  I have mediocre musical abilities and didn't really notice until a few years ago that when I think of a song in my head it's much like as if I hummed it.  One voice no chords really (some overtones).  I can make it sound like a violin or a trumpet but it's still one note at a time.But one night when falling asleep I had a song in my head and suddenly I realized I could hear chords I could hear the melody and the harmony simultaneously like I was listening to a whole choir!  It surprised me so much I woke up and the song went back to the usual boring style.  This has happened a couple other times always when I'm drifting in or out of sleep.  It seems to me that a part of the brain that usually suppresses something is inactive and the music part gets free rein.@nerf herder:
Yes your mind is more open to creativity at times when you are at the edges of sleep. If you'd like to unlock a bit more try listening to a meditative podcast in the morning while drinking coffee (both to counter the logical what-are-you-doing-don't-color-outside-the-lines part of your mind) while seated in front of your creative medium of choice (be it piano sketchpad block of wood lump of clay etc.)
Don't let the rational part of your brain win. Don't let it tell you this is pointless or you suck at drawing but instead watch the pencil brush the paper. Focus on one piano key's voice. Keep going. The ideal outcome of this situation (which is contingent upon you having a proficiency with your medium) is what Mihály Csíkszentmihályi termed as flow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) )
You can also use this rather ghetto technique of calming podcast + coffee to learn a new skill like Illustrator or Photoshop and explore new possibilities.I would very curious to study the creative possibilities of minds of recovered eating disorder patients for two reasons: firstly while an individual is afflicted with an eating disorder the connection between food and I need it is blocked or destroyed. That indicates to me a possibility that I need it might now be connected to something like art or music or running. Secondly as an individual is holding themselves back from eating they are rebelling against the social rules of how one should behave leading me to wonder: would they creatively be more able to go completely against the grain? Similar to PaulaGem's comment about anoxic brain damage subjecting the brain to an intense period of malnutrition might bring about a similar surge in creative output.OMG. This article just caused a 8.6 Richter quake in my mind. I have had MS for 18 years. IÚ´m physically perfectly fit but my cognition and short term memory have been altered. I have experienced all symtoms and abilities (on a smaller scale though..) decribed through this article. I am a physiologist and I really need to speak with a neurophysician ASAP...Underneath the surface of the mind there must be numerical supercomputing capabilities.  Think of how much power is needed say for a Google Car to be able to scan the environment and make decisions for self-driving.    What about robots and how hard it is for them to walk see a puddle and jump over it.   Given that each of us has that processing power the higher traits like language dance art music math seem almost trivial (if you reduce them done to topological systems).    In the same way that an Intel Processor can be used for both calculating the climate or for playing Angry Birds yet it is the same processor all our brains may each have these abilities.   And of course in nature that power would best be used for hunting...not composing sonnets.The problem is validation.Sure there are stories. There are always stories. There are stories that were written down which means that they were documented but not necessarily true.But were there ever pre and post accident evaluations by professionals using MRI X-Rays and complex skill tests? No.If not then the stories remain mere urban legend.Hi guys. Something strange and similar happened to me one year ago and I still donÚ´t understand what it means. I am a PhD student and I am 26 years old happy and healthy. During my PhD study IÚ´ve always tried to do my best in lab but I have always been worrying that I will make a mistake and I havenÚ´t thought about the experiments about the pathways IÚ´ve tried to study the articles but it was hard for me. Sometimes I was too lazy and donÚ´t want to go to lab I prefered hobbies or just watched TV. Then once I woke up and everything has changed. I only remember that I was happy that I can go to the lab at 5 am and do the experiments. My supervisor told me that in that day she was really surprised how I changed. Since then I love science I have a passion and lot of energy I study the pathways in cells I know the interactions between the proteins and can bind it and think about the experiments. Now I have my own ideas which I want to realize... I think about the signaling pathways almost every hour of my life and study it. Something  changed in my mind during that night and I donÚ´t undersatnd it but what is most important I am really happy now  I know that I can make a mistake in lab but I am not stressed because I love this job or more exactly it is not a job for me it is my life. Has someone of you experienced something similar ? Thanks.