Conjoined Twins Share Thoughts, Visual Perception
I’m kinda hesitant to post this, as I don’t like the idea of these girls being gaped at as natural wonders. Still, the repercussions of these twins existing in this way are huge. Imagine this: not only can these girls see through each other’s eyes, they can also experience each other’s thoughts, as well as emotions. This is because they share one thalamus, the part of the brain that sends physical sensations and motor functions to the cerebral cortex. Thus, to some extent, even though they’re two persons, they share one consciousness. How does this reflect on the idea or concept of the individual?
Conjoined twins Krista and Tatiana have stunned the world’s medical experts by seeing through each other’s eyes.
The pretty four-year-old twins have two separate bodies but share the same brain.
The girls have a conjoined thalamus, the part of the brain that sends physical sensations and motor functions to the cerebral cortex, allowing them to hear each other’s thoughts and see through each other’s eyes.
But it wasn’t until their proud mum Felicia Simms saw them playing that she discovered that they could see through each other’s eyes.
She said: ‘When they are playing, one of the girls will reach over and grab something from her sister’s side and know exactly where it is without possibly being able to see it.
‘It’s absolutely awesome to watch them sometimes because there’s no way she can see the toy she is reaching for and it’s just incredible.’ The girls also seem to experience each other’s emotions.
‘If one of the girls is hurt, the other can feel it and if you discipline one the other will also cry.’
The girls, from Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, have been receiving constant medical care since they were born.
Paediatric neurosurgeon Doug Cochrane, who has looked after them from birth, confirmed they can see through each other’s eyes.
He said: ‘The twins are sharing signals from the other twin’s visual field.
‘One twin may see what the other twin does, as the brain of one of the girls receives electronic impulses from the retina of the opposite twin.’
