Live Science Talk with Dr Alfredo Spagna
💻Virtual🏁Completed
What's Actually Happening in the Aphantasic Brain?
If you have aphantasia, you know you can't visualize—but do you know why? Dr. Alfredo Spagna, a leading researcher in cognitive neuroscience, will share insights from recent neuroimaging work that maps work using ultra-high field 7-Tesla fMRI to map the precise brain circuits involved in visual mental imagery and reveal what's different in aphantasia.
What We'll Explore
Dr. Spagna investigates the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying human attention and imagination, with a specific focus on the interplay between frontoparietal networks and high-level visual regions. Research reveals how these networks must work together in an integrated fashion to create conscious visual experiences—whether perceived or imagined.
During this talk, we'll discuss:
The Fusiform Imagery Node (FIN) – A newly discovered domain-general brain area crucial for visual mental imagery across different types of content (shapes, colors, words, faces, and spatial relationships)
Network connectivity in aphantasia – How reduced functional connectivity between the FIN and frontoparietal areas may explain the absence of visual imagery experience
The aphantasia paradox – Why aphantasic individuals can perform imagery tasks with comparable accuracy to typical imagers despite having no subjective visual experience
Domain-specific vs. domain-general processing – How the brain handles different types of visual imagery (objects, faces, words, spatial information) through both specialized and shared neural circuits
Advanced neuroimaging insights – What millimeter-scale 7T fMRI reveals that standard brain imaging cannot detect
Implications for consciousness research – What functional disconnection in aphantasia tells us about how the brain generates conscious awareness
What to Expect
Science Talk: Dr. Spagna will discuss research involving ultra-high field brain imaging, functional connectivity between brain networks, and the neural basis of conscious visual experience in both typical imagers and individuals with aphantasia
Live Q&A: Members will have the opportunity to ask Dr. Spagna questions directly about his research, the brain mechanisms of aphantasia, and what his findings mean for understanding consciousness
Duration: Approximately 1 hour (including Q&A)
Perfect For:
- Individuals with aphantasia curious about the specific brain mechanisms behind their experience
- Typical imagers wanting to understand how frontoparietal and visual networks create mental images
- Anyone interested in consciousness, functional brain connectivity, or the neural basis of subjective experience
- Researchers and students exploring attention, imagination, and visual processing
- Community members eager to learn from cutting-edge ultra-high field neuroimaging research
About Dr. Alfredo Spagna
Dr. Spagna is a cognitive neuroscience researcher whose work contributes to debates on competing models of visual mental imagery. His research utilizes a variety of advanced methodologies, including behavioral experiments, 3T and 7T fMRI, MEG, sEEG, and mobile EEG. His work advances understanding of disorders involving attention and imagination, including cerebral visual impairment and aphantasia.
Ready to dive into the science? Become a member to receive the meeting link and join this engaging conversation about the neural networks underlying mental imagery!
Event Details
Thu, Oct 2, 2025 • 5:13 PM - 6:13 PM (UTC)
14 registered
Organizer
Hosted by
Jennifer McDougall@jmcdougall