Savant syndrome is a rare mental condition and one of the most fascinating phenomena in the study of human differences in cognitive psychology. It is a rare condition and is often identified and classified among mental disabilities and disorders, including the autism spectrum. People diagnosed with savant syndrome display one or more mental capacities of extraordinary brilliance or ability, differentiating it from other mental disorders and conditions.
The abilities of savants occur spontaneously. They are not the result of training, ambition, or even prior awareness of possession. The condition may manifest genetically but may also develop in prenatal through post- natal phases of growth. In other instances, the syndrome may appear later in life, following head injuries, strokes, injuries to the central nervous system or as a result of disease.
A paradox of the syndrome is that savants possessing exceptional abilities in certain areas–like mathematical calculation, memorization, polyglotism, music and art–that normally take a very high intelligence quotient to perform, are often of otherwise low intelligence, and sometimes suffer from mental retardation or are severely autistic. Savant presentation may also be associated with other types of disorders such as Williams' syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome, Prader-Willis
syndrome, or damage to the corpus callosum. Why it manifests slightly six times more frequently in men than in women remains a mystery.
Perhaps the most likely hypothesis for savant syndrome is a connection with a dysfunction of the left hemisphere of the brain, where skills at abstraction and logical and symbolic thinking are performed. However, there are many contending hypotheses associated with biological causes for savant syndrome. Hence the purpose of the proposed documentary series is to explore cases of this unusual syndrome with the assistance of researchers and clinicians in brain science, and to present them with care and respect for better understanding by the general public.
Central to this exploration will be the case of Jeanne-Marie Massot Archer, also known as "Jemma"–a mute twenty-one-year-old woman in San Diego, California who suddenly began writing a story on a computer containing details she could only have been exposed to as a baby less than a year old. Her story has caused considerable public interest in various media, including speculative Internet sites because of its possible relationship to the death of her mother over two decades ago. It is hoped that this production will inspire further research and development of possible clinical outcomes where necessary and appropriate for a variety of brain and mind conditions such as stroke, CTE, psychosis, and suicide ideation, among other physiological and mental disorders.
