One of the most common experiences shared in our community is the challenge of explaining to others how people with aphantasia (who can’t consciously visualize) can “know” what something looks like without being able to “see” it in our minds. Many can instantly recognize our car in a parking lot, navigate our home in the dark, or describe a loved one’s face in detail – all without being able to conjure up a mental image. This raises an intriguing question: how are we storing and accessing this visual information?
New research published in Current Biology might offer some fascinating insights. Scientists studied brain activity in people with and without aphantasia while they looked at simple patterns and then tried to imagine them. They found that when aphantasics attempted to imagine these patterns, their visual brain areas actually became active – similar to people who can visualize. However, there was a key difference: the patterns of brain activity during actual seeing versus imagining were distinctly different in aphantasics, unlike in people who can visualize.
This suggests that the aphantasic brains might be processing visual information in a unique way – one that doesn’t result in conscious mental images but still allows for the storage and access of visual memories. Rather than having a “broken” visualization system, we might have a different way of processing visual information that bypasses conscious imagery but still maintains the essential information.
What do you think about this? Does it align with your experience of knowing without seeing? How do you think your brain stores visual information without creating mental images?
