AphantasiaResearch
Explore a comprehensive collection of academic papers, research studies, and scientific publications about aphantasia, imagery, and cognitive neuroscience.
Disturbing the sound of silence: Bilateral temporal cortex stimulation and auditory mental imagery
Bilateral temporal cortex stimulation reduced participants' voluntary control over auditory imagery. The findings show auditory cortex actively generates and regulates internally produced sounds.
Rollo, B., Malatesta, G., D’Anselmo, A., Lucafò, C., & Tommasi, L. (2026). Disturbing the sound of silence: bilateral temporal cortex stimulation and auditory mental imagery. Brain and Cognition, 192, 106378. doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106378
Unsupervised clustering reveals spatial and verbal cognitive profiles in aphantasia and typical imagery
This study used unsupervised clustering to analyze cognitive profiles in people with and without aphantasia. Rather than finding group differences, three distinct cognitive clusters emerged based on visual, spatial, and verbal abilities across both groups.
Delem, M., Turkben, S., Cavalli, E., Cousineau, D., & Plancher, G. (2025). Unsupervised clustering reveals spatial and verbal cognitive profiles in aphantasia and typical imagery. Neuropsychologia, 219, 109279. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109279
Mapping the imageless mind: Towards a taxonomy of aphantasia
Aphantasia, the inability to form mental images, is a heterogeneous phenomenon comprising three distinct forms: neurological, psychogenic, and congenital. This taxonomy clarifies confusion from recent research by distinguishing between acquired brain damage, psychological factors, and lifelong absence of imagery.
Bartolomeo, P. (2025). Mapping the imageless mind: towards a taxonomy of aphantasia. Neuropsychologia, 219, 109276. doi:/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109276
Aphantasia avant le nom: historical perspectives on the absence or loss of visual imagery
This paper traces aphantasia cases back over 100 years before the term was coined in 2015, establishing historical legitimacy for retrospective diagnosis. Historical accounts of absent or lost visual imagery provide valid evidence that aphantasia is not a modern discovery but a long-overlooked neurological condition.
Larner, A. J. (2025). Aphantasia avant le nom: historical perspectives on the absence or loss of visual imagery. Neuropsychologia, 218, 109254. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109254
“Unseen strategies” what can the experience of Aphantasia teach us about cognitive strategies in memory?
People with aphantasia lack visual imagery but maintain memory through compensatory strategies like semantic reliance and inner speech. The study identifies how these alternative cognitive approaches help aphantasic individuals perform adequately despite imagery deficits.
Hayes, S. J., Miles, G. E., & Evans, S.-A. (2026). “unseen strategies” what can the experience of aphantasia teach us about cognitive strategies in memory?. New Ideas in Psychology, 80, 101215. doi:/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2025.101215
Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia
People with aphantasia cannot create visual mental images but may still process motor imagery differently. This study investigates how their brains activate during motor tasks using neuroimaging methods.
Kwaśniak, R., Zapała, D., Augustynowicz, P., & Szubielska, M. (2025). Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia. Scientific Reports, 15(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-025-20168-6
“I just see nothing. It’s literally just black”: a qualitative investigation into congenital aphantasia
This qualitative study examined six women with congenital aphantasia, finding that difficulties with autobiographical memory, facial recognition, and orientation most impact daily life. Participants reported feeling images exist but are inaccessible consciously, though some accessed unconscious imagery and experienced dream imagery.
Pounder, Z., Agosto, G., Mackenzie, J.-M., & Cheshire, A. (2025). “i just see nothing. it’s literally just black”: a qualitative investigation into congenital aphantasia. Cogent Psychology, 12(1). doi:/10.1080/23311908.2025.2574255
The Aphantasia-Hyperphantasia spectrum
Aphantasia-hyperphantasia should be studied as a continuous spectrum rather than binary endpoints. Mental imagery vividness variations correlate with differences in decision-making, emotion-regulation, and mental health across all people.
Nanay, B. (2025). The aphantasia-hyperphantasia spectrum. Neuropsychologia, 109293. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109293
The potential risks of opening the mind’s eye with psychedelic therapies
People with aphantasia may gain visual mental imagery after using psychedelics like psilocybin, raising concerns about mental health risks. The authors advocate for informed consent and awareness of these unexpected side effects in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Koenig-Robert, R., Keogh, R., & Pearson, J. (2025). The potential risks of opening the mind’s eye with psychedelic therapies. Cortex, 191, 167–171. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2025.08.002
The role of mental imagery in worry: Insights from aphantasia
People with aphantasia lack visual imagery but experience similar levels of worry, yet show protection against catastrophizing and cognitive avoidance. Their worry manifests as abstract thought and somatic sensations rather than imagery or words.
Dance, C., Meeten, F., & Simner, J. (2025). The role of mental imagery in worry: insights from aphantasia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 193, 104838. doi:/10.1016/j.brat.2025.104838
Aphantasia and the unconscious imagery hypothesis
This paper examines whether mental imagery can occur unconsciously, particularly in aphantasia. The authors critically review existing evidence and argue it is weaker than it appears, proposing new research methods.
Mckilliam, A., & Kirberg, M. (2025). Aphantasia and the unconscious imagery hypothesis. Consciousness and Cognition, 135, 103924. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2025.103924
A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!
Aphantasia varies across multiple dimensions including voluntary versus involuntary imagery and associated cognitive differences. Research confirms introspection reliably distinguishes imagery extremes, supporting its validity in psychology.
Zeman, A. (2025). A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!. Neuropsychologia, 219, 109278. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109278
Aphantasia, hyperphantasia and sensory imagery in a multi-cultural sample
This study examined sensory imagery across 636 participants from diverse cultures using the VVIQ and Psi-Q measures. The most striking finding was that Middle Eastern and North African participants reported significantly lower visual imagery scores than Western and Southeast Asian participants.
Bruder, J., & Zehra, M. (2025). Aphantasia, hyperphantasia and sensory imagery in a multi-cultural sample. Journal of Cultural Cognitive Science, 9(3), 465–481. doi:10.1007/s41809-025-00184-8
The heart’s eye: how mental imagery influences romantic emotion
This study examined how mental imagery vividness affects romantic emotions by comparing vivid imagers to aphantasic individuals using neural and physiological measures. Results show that vivid visual imagery amplifies romantic emotional intensity, whereas aphantasia leads to diminished emotional responses.
Cui, B., Kong, Y., & Zhang, W. (2025). The heart’s eye: how mental imagery influences romantic emotion. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608874
Missing images: autobiographical memory in Aphantasia and blindness
This mini review examines autobiographical memory in people with aphantasia and congenital blindness. Both groups show that mental scene construction, not visual perception, is crucial for vivid memory recall.
McCormick, C., & Lange, S. (2025). Missing images: autobiographical memory in aphantasia and blindness. Frontiers in Cognition, 4. doi:10.3389/fcogn.2025.1644533
Mental imagery abilities in different modalities moderate the efficacy of cognitive bias modification for interpretation bias in social anxiety
CBM-I reduces interpretation bias and social anxiety, with effects strongest in individuals with higher mental imagery ability, particularly in emotional feelings. Mental imagery capacity is a key moderator determining intervention success.
Lam, C. L., Hin, A. S., Lau, L. N., Zhang, Z., & Leung, C. J. (2025). Mental imagery abilities in different modalities moderate the efficacy of cognitive bias modification for interpretation bias in social anxiety. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 88, 102031. doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2025.102031
Attention and visual imagery: how hyperphantasia influences novice shooters’ performance across different attentional foci
This research investigates how visual imagery vividness (hyperphantasia vs. aphantasia) affects motor performance in shooting under different attentional focus conditions. The study bridges neuroscience and sports psychology to understand perceptual-motor performance across imagery extremes.
Bahmani, M., Taghi Ghare-Bagh, M., & Nazemzadegan, G. (2025). Attention and visual imagery: how hyperphantasia influences novice shooters’ performance across different attentional foci. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1–15. doi:10.1080/1612197x.2025.2547368
Why indecisive trials matter: Improving the binocular rivalry imagery priming score for the assessment of aphantasia
This study improves the binocular rivalry priming score for reliably identifying people with aphantasia, a condition marked by absent or reduced mental imagery. The enhanced measure outperforms existing methods and is recommended for future aphantasia research.
Monzel, M., Scholz, C. O., Pearson, J., & Reuter, M. (2025). Why indecisive trials matter: improving the binocular rivalry imagery priming score for the assessment of aphantasia. Behavior Research Methods, 57(9). doi:10.3758/s13428-025-02780-6
Aphantasia does not affect veridical and false memory: Evidence from the DRM paradigm
This study examined whether aphantasia affects false memory using the DRM paradigm. Contrary to expectations, aphantasic participants showed no significant differences in memory performance, suggesting visual imagery may not play a major role in verbal memory tasks.
Pauly-Takacs, K., Younus, S., Sigala, N., & Pfeifer, G. (2025). Aphantasia does not affect veridical and false memory: evidence from the drm paradigm. Consciousness and Cognition, 133, 103888. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2025.103888
The relationship between multilingualism and visual imagery: Investigating aphantasia using the VVIQ
This study found a positive correlation between multilingualism and visual imagery ability using the VVIQ in 302 participants. Multilingual individuals scored higher on visual imagery tests, suggesting language fluency may reduce aphantasia susceptibility.
Li, Y., & Guan, P. (n.d.). The relationship between multilingualism and visual imagery: investigating aphantasia using the vviq. Journal of Emerging Investigators. doi:10.59720/24-185