Synaesthesia is a condition in which a mixing of the senses occurs; for example, sounds trigger the experience of colour. Previous reports suggest this may be familial, but no systematic studies exist. In addition, there are no reliable prevalence or sex-ratio figures for the condition, which is essential for establishing if the reported sex ratio (female bias) is reliable, and if this implicates a sex-linked genetic mechanism. Two independent population studies were conducted in the city of Cambridge, England (studies 1 and 2 here), as necessary background to the family genetic study of synaesthesia (study 3). Studies 1 and 2 arrived at an almost identical prevalence rate for synaesthesia: approximately 1 case in 2000. The sex ratio found was 6:1 (female:male). A third of cases also reported familial aggregation. In study 3 six families were examined, and first-degree relatives were tested for genuineness of the condition. All six families were indeed multiplex for synaesthesia. Alternative modes of inheritance are discussed.

This study reports developmental data for the phonological awareness and processing skills of 57 normally developing Tyneside preschool children, aged between 46 and 58 months. The children were assessed on eight tasks: consistency of word production, phonological variability according to speech production task, non-word imitation, syllable segmentation, rhyme awareness, alliteration awareness, phoneme isolation and phoneme segmentation. The results indicated that girls and boys performed similarly; socio-economic status significantly affected performance on six of the tasks; and age was significantly correlated with performance on tasks targeting alliteration, non-word imitation, phonological variability, and phoneme isolation and segmentation. The older children were more phonologically aware than the younger children.

The role that the arts can play in the promotion of health has been a point of increasing focus over the last two decades, particularly in Scandinavia. This bibliography provides an overview of some of the research that has been conducted in Scandinavia, including articles on public health, cultural activities, music and drama-based interventions, clown doctors and museums. Some of the articles describe successful, innovative projects that have already been conducted, while some provide arguments for future movements and some present evidence from formal research studies.This bibliography has been compiled to illustrate the scope of current research in Arts in Health in Scandinavia. It is not intended to be comprehensive but to serve as a starting point for the reader's own investigation. The entries have been limited to those written in English.The bibliography is organized thematically and covers public health policy and perspectives; cultural activities; music therapy, music medicine and community music therapy; drama and dramatherapy; clown doctors and art galleries and museums.

No abstract