Real ‘Beautiful Mind’: college dropout became mathematical genius after mugging

April 30, 2012

Jason Padgett's drawing of Pi (credit: Jason Padgett)

Jason Padgett, 41, sees complex mathematical formulas everywhere he looks and turns them into stunning, intricate diagrams he can draw by hand with no math training.

Following a concussion, a scan of Padgett’s brain showed damage that was forcing his brain to overcompensate in certain areas that most people don’t have access to, Berit Brogaard, a neuroscientist and philosophy professor at the Center for Neurodynamics at the University of Missouri-St. Louis explained.

The result: Padgett was now an acquired savant, meaning brilliant in a specific area.

Padgett was featured on ABC Nightline April 27, 2012.

Padgett Art (tools: pencil, ruler, compass)