Real ‘Beautiful Mind’: college dropout became mathematical genius after mugging
April 30, 2012
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)