First of all, you have reached the age of 85, having had a career in research on algebraic topology, all without ever having considered whether you visualize in the same way as other people. So, whether you are aphantasic or not, you seem to have had a reasonably successful life without any knowledge of aphantasia. If you are aphantasic, you almost certainly were always this way, and it may even have been beneficial in your chosen line of work. Sometimes it can be easier to think abstractly if you don't feel the need to picture anything. What good would it be to know for sure if you are aphantasic or not? In practical terms, there may not be much benefit, other than a better understanding of yourself. Is there a cure or a way to alleviate aphantasia? Right now, there is nothing that works even a little bit for most people. You might be interested to know that when people who know they are congenitally aphantasic are asked if they want to be able to visualize, many say that they would want it only if they could turn it off if they wanted. After all, they are used to the way their minds work without visualization and they don't know if they would like the change. Of course, for someone who acquired aphantasia through some event, the answer is often that they would like to regain an ability that they once had, and there are some with congenital aphantasia who also would like that ability. Is networking with other aphantasics useful? That depends on what you might want to get out of it. You posted a question here, so I suppose you think there might be something gained. If nothing else, it could be interesting. You should be aware, though, that the experience of aphantasia varies from person to person, even in such basic traits as how many senses are affected, whether you have visual dreams or not, etc., etc. For myself, I found that diversity of experience fascinating. For the items you listed as "why" you think you might have aphantasia, none of them are really diagnostic. 1) You recognize people's faces, so you don't have prosopagnosia, which itself is not 100% linked to aphantasia anyway. 2) Maybe you just never learned to draw, or you need to have a physical or photographic reference in order to make a drawing. The more relevant question is whether you can form a mental image of your mother's face (different from knowing that you would recognize her face). 3) If you want to "game" an Alzheimer's test, go in prepared with a strategy for remembering a list of things for at least 30 minutes. Visualizing them isn't the only possibility. You were able to remember them for 2 minutes, and you didn't think it important to remember for longer than that, so why would you remember a boring list that is irrelevant to your life? 4) Professional career choices are not dictated by aphantasia, though there is some relationship. In your work, did you ever mentally visualize topological surfaces in some way or not? That might be a hint.

Understanding if you indeed have Aphantasia could help you deliberately use other memory types to help remember things. If you know visual memory is missing, you could for example tell yourself things, which uses auditory memory. Visual memory is only one type of memory. Trying to rely on or use visual memory, not knowing you have Aphantasia, can feel like a lost cause or you could even frustrate yourself.

First of all, you have reached the age of 85, having had a career in research on algebraic topology, all without ever having considered whether you visualize in the same way as other people. So, whether you are aphantasic or not, you seem to have had a reasonably successful life without any knowledge of aphantasia. If you are aphantasic, you almost certainly were always this way, and it may even have been beneficial in your chosen line of work. Sometimes it can be easier to think abstractly if you don't feel the need to picture anything. What good would it be to know for sure if you are aphantasic or not? In practical terms, there may not be much benefit, other than a better understanding of yourself. Is there a cure or a way to alleviate aphantasia? Right now, there is nothing that works even a little bit for most people. You might be interested to know that when people who know they are congenitally aphantasic are asked if they want to be able to visualize, many say that they would want it only if they could turn it off if they wanted. After all, they are used to the way their minds work without visualization and they don't know if they would like the change. Of course, for someone who acquired aphantasia through some event, the answer is often that they would like to regain an ability that they once had, and there are some with congenital aphantasia who also would like that ability. Is networking with other aphantasics useful? That depends on what you might want to get out of it. You posted a question here, so I suppose you think there might be something gained. If nothing else, it could be interesting. You should be aware, though, that the experience of aphantasia varies from person to person, even in such basic traits as how many senses are affected, whether you have visual dreams or not, etc., etc. For myself, I found that diversity of experience fascinating. For the items you listed as "why" you think you might have aphantasia, none of them are really diagnostic. 1) You recognize people's faces, so you don't have prosopagnosia, which itself is not 100% linked to aphantasia anyway. 2) Maybe you just never learned to draw, or you need to have a physical or photographic reference in order to make a drawing. The more relevant question is whether you can form a mental image of your mother's face (different from knowing that you would recognize her face). 3) If you want to "game" an Alzheimer's test, go in prepared with a strategy for remembering a list of things for at least 30 minutes. Visualizing them isn't the only possibility. You were able to remember them for 2 minutes, and you didn't think it important to remember for longer than that, so why would you remember a boring list that is irrelevant to your life? 4) Professional career choices are not dictated by aphantasia, though there is some relationship. In your work, did you ever mentally visualize topological surfaces in some way or not? That might be a hint.

Understanding if you indeed have Aphantasia could help you deliberately use other memory types to help remember things. If you know visual memory is missing, you could for example tell yourself things, which uses auditory memory. Visual memory is only one type of memory. Trying to rely on or use visual memory, not knowing you have Aphantasia, can feel like a lost cause or you could even frustrate yourself.