Works by
Richard E. Cytowic, MD
(Neuroscientist, Writer)

Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia  (2009) with David M. Eagleman
A person with synesthesia might feel the flavor of food on her fingertips, sense the letter J as shimmering magenta or the number 5 as emerald green, hear and taste her husband's voice as buttery golden brown. Synesthetes rarely talk about their peculiar sensory gift—believing either that everyone else senses the world exactly as they do, or that no one else does. Yet synesthesia occurs in one in twenty people, and is even more common among artists. One famous synesthete was novelist Vladimir Nabokov, who insisted as a toddler that the colors on his wooden alphabet blocks were "all wrong." His mother understood exactly what he meant because she, too, had synesthesia. Nabokov's son Dmitri, who recounts this tale in the afterword to this book, is also a synesthete—further illustrating how synesthesia runs in families.

In Wednesday Is Indigo Blue, pioneering researcher Richard Cytowic and distinguished neuroscientist David Eagleman explain the neuroscience and genetics behind synesthesia’s multisensory experiences. Because synesthesia contradicted existing theory, Cytowic spent twenty years persuading colleagues that it was a real—and important—brain phenomenon rather than a mere curiosity. Today scientists in fifteen countries are exploring synesthesia and how it is changing the traditional view of how the brain works.

Cytowic and Eagleman argue that perception is already multisensory, though for most of us its multiple dimensions exist beyond the reach of consciousness. Reality, they point out, is more subjective than most people realize. No mere curiosity, synesthesia is a window on the mind and brain, highlighting the amazing differences in the way people see the world.

The Man Who Tasted Shapes (2003)
Imagine a world of salty visions and square tastes. Although a minority of people experience the world this way, neurologist Richard Cytowic shows how the phenomenon of synesthesia sheds light on how all human brains function.

For over 200 years synesthesia confounded science. Now Dr. Cytowic tells the stories of extraordinary individuals and relates how a decade of experiments led him to conclude that all of us perceive synesthetically. but the ability is usually hidden from conscious awareness.

Cytowic argues that humans are irrational by design: our emotions are more in charge than logical reasoning is. His investigations deliver a fresh perspective on memory, the roots of creativity, the feasibility of artificial intelligence, and the importance of subjectivity.

Neurological Side of Neuropsychology (1996)
Neurologists, neuropsychologists, and cognitive scientists work with many of the same problems and patients and yet know little about the literature and approaches of the other disciplines. The Neurological Side of Neuropsychology is a primer for graduate students, neurology residents, and professionals from other fields who wish to increase their knowledge of behavioral neurology. It provides a clear and coherent introduction to contemporary neurological ideas, carefully contrasting the conventional hierarchical model of brain organization with the newer multiplex model that scientists from biological backgrounds currently use.

Instead of presenting laundry lists of arcane maladies along with a key of "where in the brain the responsible lesion is," or a compendium of tests for a given situation--the received wisdom that sometimes must be memorized--Cytowic gives students the historical and conceptual tools they need not only to get up to speed regarding present knowledge, but to go forward.

Nerve Block for Common Pain (1990)
In Nerve Block Dr. Richard Cytowic reminds of the various options available in treating pain and, more importantly, he emphasizes an option that has been underestimated historically. Encouraging physicians in all fields to stray from the norm of dispensing pain pills, Dr. Cytowic examines the reasons for clinging to traditional but ineffective methods of pain relief. He addresses some common misconceptions, sheds new light on nerve block and offers a new attitude to its practical use.

Synesthesia: A Union of the Senses (1989, 2002)
Sharing a root with anesthesia, meaning “no sensation,” synesthesia means “joined sensation,” whereby two or more senses are coupled such that a voice is not only heard, but also felt, seen, or tasted. Synesthetes are surprised to discover that others aren’t like them!

In this first English-language book, Cytowic shows how synesthesia no mere curiosity, but a window onto a wide swath of mental life, such as metaphor, consciousness, creativity, and language. He gives the first complete picture of the brain mechanisms behind this remarkable experience that has confounded scientists for 200 years.