A small section of a Tokyo cityscape drawn by savant Stephen Wiltshire (Photo by Brenda Mai) Imagine how powerful our minds could be if nothing ever distracted us from retaining information. Imagine no more because a special group of people known as autistic savants possess phenomenal memorization abilities. Inflicted with a mental state called Savant Syndrome, these rare individuals tend to fixate on certain cerebral activities and access superhuman thinking talents using photographic memories. Daniel "Brainman" Tammet memorized and accurately recounted 22,514 sequential digits of pi in 5 hours. After one helicopter ride at the age of 11, Stephen "The Human Camera" Wiltshire visually memorized the topography of London and subsequently drew an uncanny aerial view so detailed that he sketched the correct number of windows for London's landmark buildings. Unfortunately, the gifts revealed by these savants often come with a price, including varying degrees of debilitating quirks, obsessive behaviors, and verbal problems. The next time we belittle ourselves for having brain farts, lay the blame on a common condition we know all too well - normalcy. Suggested Sites... Wisconsin Medical Society: Savant Syndrome - videos showcasing the many talents of 12 savants. YouTube: Beautiful Minds - A Voyage Into the Brain - The Human Camera takes on Rome! 60 Minutes: BrainMan - you won't believe how Daniel Tammett can crunch numbers. Savage Records: Matthew Savage - the tale of an autistic jazz prodigy. MetropolisMag.com: A Strange Sojourn - savant Gilles Tréhin has an inconceivable obsession with Urville.

Directory categories: Savant Syndrome, Brain, Neurological Disorders, Memory

Archived under: Artists, Arts, Mental Health, Science

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