Savant syndrome

People with Savant syndrome are characterized by an undoubted mental deficiency, combined with unique abilities. The abilities of these people, with the light hand of the American psychiatrist D. Treffert, are called "an island of genius" in the sea of their complete failure in everyday life.

The term "savant syndrome" was introduced by J.L. Down at the end of the 19th century. He called savants mentally retarded, but noted their ability to learn and understand the world. It is not difficult to reveal the talents of savants, it is enough to find the right psychological approach to them.

Epidemiology

According to the UN, there are currently approximately 67 million people with autistic disorders in the world. Among them, only 50 people have savant syndrome, each of them is certainly unique and endowed with extraordinary talents in various fields of science and art.

Dr. D. Treffert believes that there are no more than 25 crazy geniuses with extraordinary abilities in the world, and no more than a hundred were born in the 20th century.

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Causes savant syndrome

This pathology is mostly caused by genetic predisposition. Modern science knows about a hundred people with savant syndrome, half of them suffer from autism, the rest – from other mental disorders.

There are known cases where this condition was a consequence of head injuries or degenerative diseases of the brain. Doctors believe that savantism can be a result of perinatal pathology.

The reasons for this phenomenon are still in the realm of speculation. Male savants are five times more likely to have this pathology than women. American neurophysiologists explain the quantitative superiority of men by the presence of several dozen genes in the male X chromosome that contribute to the birth of a child with this syndrome.

There is an opinion that the presence of an extremely high level of the male hormone testosterone promotes accelerated brain growth in infants with savant syndrome, while simultaneously suppressing the production of the hormone oxytocin, which is responsible for successful adaptation in society.

There is a hypothesis about the existence of a virus that causes neurons in the brain to mutate.

Computer and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain of people with this phenomenon indicate that their right hemisphere compensates for the deficiencies of the left hemisphere. This idea is supported by the fact that savants have a uniquely developed skill - phenomenal memory or absolute pitch.

It is quite clear that the brain of these people has an unusual structure: for example, the famous Kim Peek (the prototype of Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie "Rain Man") has a brain that is not divided into hemispheres.

Acquired pathology can be caused by head injuries, epilepsy, dementia.

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Risk factors

Since the main cause of savantism is called genetic predisposition, the main risk factor is hereditary mental disorders. In particular, the presence of autism or Asperger syndrome in siblings, the presence of other mental illnesses in the family history.

Other significant risk factors include:

• mature age of parents (mother – over 40 years old, father – over 49 years old);
• the weight of the newborn is less than 2500 g;
• prematurity (gestational age < 35 weeks);
• postnatal resuscitation of the newborn;
• congenital malformations;
• male gender of the newborn;
• unfavorable ecological environment, the effect of which leads to gene mutations and vitamin D deficiency.

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Pathogenesis

In the modern classification of diseases, savant syndrome is not considered as an independent nosological unit. Most often, it accompanies autism spectrum disorders.

Modern neuroscience is not yet able to answer the question about the development of this rare pathology.

There is an opinion that the unique abilities of savants appear as a result of the intervention of external and internal pathological processes in the morphological asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres. In most adults (the so-called normal ones), the left hemisphere is larger than the right. It is responsible for verbal information and analytical thinking of a person. The right hemisphere is responsible for creativity, art, spatial and imaginative thinking. According to the results of examinations, in individuals with this syndrome, the left hemisphere of the brain is damaged to some extent. Considering that the right hemisphere is responsible for creative abilities, scientists admit that it compensates a person for losses from the dysfunction of the left.

Scientists attribute the more frequent cases of savantism in men than in women to dysfunction of the left hemisphere. The left hemisphere of the brain matures later than the right, and therefore remains more sensitive to undesirable perinatal influences. And embryos and newborn males have a higher testosterone level, which inhibits the formation of the left hemisphere and contributes to a more pronounced asymmetry between the hemispheres in men.

Scientists pay special attention to clinical cases of genius in people who acquired it as a result of the impact of various pathological factors on the brain. For example, the ability to visual arts in people with damage to the frontal lobes and anterior parts of the temporal lobes of the brain, when the process of death of nerve cells in the brain affected the left hemisphere. They slowed down the process of dementia development.

There is also a known clinical case where a nine-year-old boy became deaf as a result of a gunshot wound to the left hemisphere, stopped talking, and the right side of his body was paralyzed, but this was compensated for by outstanding mechanical abilities.

Dr. D. Treffert, who has been studying this phenomenon for over 30 years, gives a plausible interpretation of the unusual genius of savants: since the left hemisphere of the brain does not work properly, the right one forms new skills, using nerve cells intended for other functions, revealing previously hidden abilities.

Symptoms savant syndrome

Savants find it difficult to perform the most basic everyday actions: eat, get dressed, go to the store and choose a purchase, communicate with strangers. At the same time, in certain areas of knowledge, they are geniuses. Those with phenomenal memory can retell large volumes of text heard once without errors or draw a plan of a place seen for the first time, instantly perform complex mathematical calculations in their minds and perform musical pieces heard once.

Savants show a deficiency in the functions of the left hemisphere of the brain, which is compensated for by activating areas of the right hemisphere.

The areas of knowledge in which they show amazing abilities are very limited. These people have a phenomenal memory. Based on this, mathematical, musical, artistic, linguistic talents, mechanical abilities or, without sight, spatial orientation are developed. Most known cases indicate that they have only one talent developed to perfection.

Savants remember all the little details, along with the main events, they keep in their memory gigantic volumes of information, without delving into their meaning at all. Verbal gluing - this is how Down called this symptom.

Savantism is accompanied by:

• autism spectrum disorders:
• mental and physical retardation;
• abnormal changes in areas of the brain;
• islands of genius against a background of low levels of general intelligence.

People with this pathology live in their own world and are uncommunicative. They have speech disorders and a certain stereotype of movement. They avoid eye contact and avoid touching. Savants have problems expressing their thoughts and socializing in society.

First signs

If savant syndrome developed against the background of congenital anomalies in mental development, then unique abilities manifest themselves already in early childhood. For example, savant children, who have never been taught to draw, depict various objects with photographic accuracy when their peers are at the stage of drawing scribbles.

The world-famous savant Kim Peek surprised his parents at the age of 1.5-2 years old by remembering everything that was read to him, and soon he learned to read himself, and at the age of 12 he stopped going to school, since he independently mastered the school curriculum “with excellent marks”.

Stages

Savant syndrome, noticeable since childhood, is accompanied by various forms of congenital mental retardation - autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, FG syndrome. Each known case of this pathology is individual and has its own stages of disease development. But for all cases there is one general rule: the earlier work on behavioral correction is started, the greater the likelihood of successful adaptation of the child in society and achieving independence in the future. Therefore, the most important is the first or early stage of the disease.

The early stage of the disease begins with the birth of the child. Most children born with the syndrome already show exceptional abilities (they start reading, counting, drawing too early). Along with this, mental disorders are also noticeable. Modern methods allow the disease to be recognized in infancy.

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Forms

The talents of people with gifted syndrome, also known as savants, are manifested in a limited number of types of human activity.

In music, the perfect performance of a piece of music heard once, usually on the piano.

In painting or sculpture, their creations are distinguished by precision in all details and speed of execution.

In mathematics – instant arithmetic operations with multi-digit numbers, reproduction of a long series of numbers, other mathematical abilities are not known.

In mechanics, determining an exact distance without using any measuring instruments.

In modeling, the painstaking production of highly complex models.

Knowledge of languages is much less common, and savants are true polyglots.

Having a hypersensitive sense of smell, touch and vision.

Sense of time - the ability to accurately determine time without a chronometer, to accurately indicate the day of the week with a specific date.

Usually, a person with savant syndrome has one skill. But it happens that he is gifted with several talents.

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Complications and consequences

Islands of genius in savants most often coexist with mental illnesses of the autism spectrum, which are characterized by communication difficulties. Growing up of such children is often complicated by depressions associated with difficulties in self-realization, a feeling of loneliness, they are oppressed by the lack of opportunity to join society. Various studies provide indirect evidence that individuals on the autism spectrum are predisposed to suicidal thoughts.

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Diagnostics savant syndrome

A combination of bright, extraordinary talents with mental pathology in a single individual is already a sign of savant syndrome. The syndrome itself is not a disease and, accordingly, is not diagnosed.

A diagnosis of concomitant brain dysfunction is established. Savantism is considered a rare special case of autism. The patient's and his close relatives' medical history is collected, symptoms are studied, necessary examinations are made: MRI, CT, encephalography, laboratory tests. The patients under examination are offered tests to assess the level of intelligence IQ, the level of empathy EQ and other diagnostic criteria. In particular, a method called differential diagnostics is used.

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Differential diagnosis

This is a method of excluding diseases that are possible for a patient, but do not fit any facts or symptoms. As a result, the only probable disease should remain. Modern differential diagnostics is done using specially developed computer programs.

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Treatment savant syndrome

The primary goal in treating savants is their adaptation to independent life in society, improving their emotional and physical condition. Medication is necessary only in individual cases.

The extraordinary abilities found in children with developmental disabilities require a reverent attitude. Energetic pedagogical actions aimed at socializing such children were successful, but often led to the loss of their abilities. But not always, the experience of other savants proves that with the support of children's giftedness, both extraordinary abilities and communication skills are improved, and new talents can develop.

Art therapy and fairy tale therapy are effective in working on the socialization of children with autism spectrum disorders. He is drawn into the activity, his motor and speech functions are improved, and the disease slowly but surely recedes.

Prevention

A healthy lifestyle for people planning to have children, which will help to avoid the risk factors listed above.

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Forecast

Scientists still have not come to a unanimous conclusion whether savant syndrome is a pathology or a form of genius.

Mental and physical retardation are compensated by extraordinary data demonstrating the limitlessness of human potential. Many carriers of this syndrome are widely known, have exciting jobs and, probably, are happy.

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