My "fusiform imagery node" may not be working properly. Is yours?

1 min readByNeal White

I just saw an interesting article about the specific area of the brain which appears to be damaged in acquired aphantasia.

I've always had aphantasia, but I have to wonder if I have some sort of damage or deficiency in my "fusiform imagery node".

Here's a link for more info:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/new-research-on-acquired-aphantasia-pinpoints-specific-brain-network-responsible-for-visual-imagination/ar-AA1XrTc3

Sort comments by

Jennifer M•recently•edited

Hey Neal, it’s an interesting angle to ponder. The research suggests aphantasia isn’t a “broken” visual system—it’s more of a connection issue. The FIN is still creating the imagery, but the link between it and your conscious awareness isn’t firing properly . This disconnection appears to show up in both congenital and acquired aphantasia cases—the FIN seems to be the common thread . Whether you were born with it or lost imagery after an injury. So you might actually be onto something wondering about your own FIN connectivity. https://aphantasia.com/research/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109398 https://aphantasia.com/research/10.1016/j.cortex.2026.01.009

Neal White•recently•edited

Thanks for the links, Jennifer! I've often wondered if my brain was missing an off switch to turn off the signal from the eyes (black) which stomps over any imagined images. The thing is, I can somehow sense what's behind the black wall of my eyes. That fits well with the "The Locked Door" metaphor mentioned in the first article and explains why I can sense "something", even when I can't see it. So it looks like my fusiform imagery node may be fine; it's just the wiring that's messed up. It's not completely disconnected, as I have had (very) rare experiences when I've seen images, instead of the black.