When Brain Damage Unlocks The Genius Within

Brain damage has unleashed extraordinary talents in a small group of otherwise ordinary individuals. Will science find a way for everyone to tap their inner virtuoso?

By Adam Piore Posted 02.19.2013 at 10:00 am 14 Comments

Sudden Savant: Paul Lachine and Graham Murdoch

Treffert, for one, finds the results of the experiment compelling. “I was a little dubious of Snyder’s earlier work, which often involved asking his subjects to draw pictures,” he says. “It just seemed pretty subjective: How do you evaluate the change in them? But his recent study is useful.”

Snyder thinks Amato’s musical prodigy adds to mounting evidence that untapped human potential lies in everyone, accessible with the right tools. When the non-musician hears music, he perceives the big picture, melodies. Amato, Snyder says, has a “literal” experience of music—he hears individual notes. Miller’s dementia patients have technical artistic skill because they are drawing what they see: details.

Berit Brogaard believes the left-brain, right-brain idea is an oversimplification. Brogaard is a neuroscientist and philosophy professor at the Center for Neurodynamics at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. She has another theory: When brain cells die, they release a barrage of neurotransmitters, and this deluge of potent chemicals may actually rewire parts of the brain, opening up new neural pathways into areas previously unavailable.

“Our hypothesis is that we have abilities that we cannot access,” Brogaard says. “Because they are not conscious to us, we cannot manipulate them. Some reorganization takes place that makes it possible to consciously access information that was there, lying dormant.”

In August, Brogaard published a paper exploring the implications of a battery of tests her lab ran on Jason Padgett. It revealed damage in the visual-cortex areas involved in detecting motion and boundaries. Areas of the parietal cortex associated with novel visual images, mathematics, and action planning were abnormally active. In Padgett’s case, she says, the areas that have become supercharged are next to those that sustained the damage—placing them in the path of the neurotransmitters likely unleashed by the death of so many brain cells.

In Amato’s case, she says, he learned bar chords on a guitar in high school and even played in a garage band. “Obviously he had some interest in music before, and his brain probably recoded some music unconsciously,” she says. “He stored memories of music in his brain, but he didn’t access them.” Somehow the accident provoked a reorganization of neurons that brought them into his conscious mind, Brogaard speculates. It’s a theory she hopes to explore with him in the lab.

* * *

On a beautiful Los Angeles day last October, I accompanied Amato and his agent, Melody Pinkerton, up to the penthouse roof deck of Santa Monica’s Shangri-La Hotel. Far below us, a pier jutted into the ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway hugged the coastline. Pinkerton settled next to Amato on a couch, nodding warmly and blinking at him with a doe-eyed smile as three men with handheld cameras circled. They were gathering footage for the pilot of a reality-TV series about women trying to make it in Hollywood. Pinkerton is a former contestant on the VH1 reality show Frank the Entertainer and has posed for Playboy; if the series is green-lit, Amato will make regular appearances as one of her clients.

“My whole life has changed,” Amato told her. “I’ve slowed down, even though I’m racing and producing at a pace that not many people understand, you know? If Beethoven scored 500 songs a year back in the day and was considered a pretty brilliant mind, and the doctors tell me I’m scoring 2,500 pieces a year, you can see that I’m a little busy.”

Amato seemed comfortable with the cameras, despite the pressure. A spot on a reality show would represent a step forward in his career, but not a huge leap. Over the past six years, Amato has been featured in newspapers and television shows around the world. He was one of eight savants featured on a Discovery Channel special in 2010 called Ingenious Minds, and he was on PBS’s NOVA this fall. He recently appeared on a talk show hosted by his idol, Jeff Probst, also the host of Survivor. In June, Amato appeared on the Today show.

Many savants exhibit exquisite computational or artistic capacities, but almost always at the expense of other things the brain does.
Musical renown (and a payday) has yet to follow. He released his first album in 2007. In 2008, he played in front of several thousand people in New Orleans with the famed jazz-fusion guitarist Stanley Jordan. He was asked to write the score for an independent Japanese documentary. But while Amato’s musical prowess never fails to elicit amazement in the media, reviews of his music are mixed. “Some of the reaction is good, some of it’s fair, some of it’s not so good,” he says. “I wouldn’t say any of it’s great. What I think’s going to be great is working with other musicians now.”

Still, as we strolled down Santa Monica Boulevard to a sushi restaurant after the filming, he hardly could have seemed happier. At the table, Amato smiled broadly, gestured manically with meaty forearms tattooed with musical notes, and poked the air with his chopsticks for emphasis.

“There’s book stuff, there are appearances, performances, charity organizations,” he said. “There are TV people, film people, commercial people, background stuff. Shoot, I know I missed about another half dozen. It’s like I’m on a plane doing about 972 miles an hour! I’m enjoying every second of the ride!”

Amato hasn’t exactly been coy about his desire for fame, mailing packets of material to reporters, sending Facebook requests to fellow acquired savants, and continuously updating his fan page—behavior that has raised some doubts among experts.

Rex Jung, a neuroscientist at the University of New Mexico, grew suspicious of Amato after reading about his history as an ultimate-fight promoter. “I couldn’t be more skeptical,” he says. Jung studies creativity and traumatic brain injuries, and he has spent time with Alonzo Clemons, the savant who sculpts animals. He believes acquired savantism is a legitimate condition. But he notes Amato does not display other symptoms one would expect.

Many savants, Jung says, exhibit “exquisite” computational or artistic capacities, but “almost always at the expense of other things the brain does.” Clemons, for example, has severe developmental disabilities. “I am highly skeptical of savants that are able to tie their shoes and update their Facebook pages and do strong marketing campaigns to highlight their savant abilities all at the same time.”

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14 Comments

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GregN913

02/15/13 at 6:40 pm

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.

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dkella

02/19/13 at 11:14 am

Its funny how they prove that the learned patterns are the biggest impediment to being a genius.

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dbacon

02/19/13 at 11:59 am

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.

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Auroria

02/19/13 at 12:06 pm

So when frustrated, just bang your head, lol.

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dbacon

02/19/13 at 12:16 pm

1.7 Million brain trauma deaths per year (US only)... estimated 7-10 savants alive worldwide. Not the best odds.

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ToomeyND

02/19/13 at 1:44 pm

So PopSci finally got around to watching Ingenious Minds on the Science Channel, eh?

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quasi44

02/19/13 at 5:15 pm

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.

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escapefromobamastan

02/23/13 at 6:25 pm

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.

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PaulaGem

03/13/13 at 10:01 pm

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.

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Serpico74

03/14/13 at 6:02 pm

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? :)

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Winston Melvin

03/16/13 at 2:16 pm

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 40,000 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 40,000 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 detail,in 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.

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nerf herder

03/23/13 at 12:57 am

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.

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Say_When

03/24/13 at 12:47 pm

@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.

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Say_When

03/24/13 at 12:58 pm

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.