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In 2002, a man named Jason Padgett was mugged and suffered a concussion. Now he sees the world through geometric shapes, and he is basically a mathematical genius.

If a neuroscientist was to examine Padgett’s brain, could they see what is causing his brain to behave this way, and replicate it for other humans?

Cannabijoy
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    There was another question here about acquired savant syndrome, which according to the article you linked is what Padgett has. Actually the question was about a temporariliy induced form, which might not be the same thing: https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/19896/has-induced-savantism-been-further-explored-beyond-snyder-2009 Nobody with a grain of ethics is going to replicate brain injury (in humans), by the way. – the gods from engineering Sep 19 '18 at 08:35
  • The page you linked eventually says that Padgett was given an MRI and also ""Acquired savant syndrome is very rare," Brogaard said, adding that only 15 to 25 cases have ever been described in medical studies." – the gods from engineering Sep 19 '18 at 08:42
  • Also Padgett developed some run-of-the-mill forms of OCD as well: https://nypost.com/2014/04/20/how-a-brain-injury-turned-a-college-dropout-into-a-genius/ – the gods from engineering Sep 19 '18 at 08:50
  • @Fizz I know his new skills were the result of a brain injury, but that doesn’t necessarily mean injuring the brain is required to replicate it. Also, acquired savant syndrome seems to be a good thing to those who have been diagnosed. His PTSD obviously developed from being mugged, and the OCD could have been caused by other injuries. He mentions trouble speaking in public, but that’s a common fear that maybe he had not experienced too much until he became a genius. – Cannabijoy Sep 19 '18 at 09:47
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    @Fizz The question you linked to definitely answers my questions, and it’s only a few months old, so this is a duplicate. Thanks for finding that. – Cannabijoy Sep 19 '18 at 10:32

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