AphantasiaResearch
Explore a comprehensive collection of academic papers, research studies, and scientific publications about aphantasia, imagery, and cognitive neuroscience.
“Unseen strategies” what can the experience of Aphantasia teach us about cognitive strategies in memory?
Participants with Aphantasia shared their experiences of lacking mental imagery, discovering their limitations in visual and auditory forms. Many were unaware of these deficits until learning about Aphantasia. They often rely on semantic memory and external aids, like notes, to compensate for their memory challenges, highlighting unique cognitive strategies in navigating their daily lives.
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
“I just see nothing. It’s literally just black”: a qualitative investigation into congenital aphantasia
Participants with aphantasia, a condition where they cannot form visual images, shared their experiences of challenges like recognizing faces and recalling memories. They often relied on verbal descriptions and narratives to cope. While some felt frustrated, others found unique strengths in their non-visual thinking, leading to a mix of fascination and emotional impact in their lives.
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
A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!
Aphantasia is the inability to visualize images in one's mind. Research suggests it may not be a single condition but has various subtypes. People with aphantasia often navigate life well, possibly relying on unconscious imagery. Understanding aphantasia can provide insights into how mental imagery functions and its role in our thoughts and memories.
Zeman, A. (2025). A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!. Neuropsychologia, 219, 109278. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109278
Unsupervised clustering reveals spatial and verbal cognitive profiles in aphantasia and typical imagery
Individuals with aphantasia, who cannot visualize images, show diverse cognitive profiles. While they generally perform similarly to those with typical imagery, some rely more on verbal processing, while others excel in spatial tasks. This study highlights the complexity of mental representation, suggesting a spectrum of cognitive styles beyond just visual imagery.
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
This article proposes that aphantasia is not a single condition but rather encompasses at least three distinct forms, each with different causes and mechanisms.
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
Background: Cases of acquired loss or diminution of visual mental imagery and congenital absence of the experience of visual imagery were described by Zeman and his colleagues in 2010 and 2015 respectively, the latter report inaugurating a new terminology for such symptoms or experiences: "aphantasia". Methods: Narrative review of individuals and patients with experiences suggestive of congenital absence or acquired loss of visual imagery reported in the scientific literature prior to the first use of "aphantasia". Results: Accepting the potential pitfalls of retrospective diagnosis or identification, examples deemed concordant with "aphantasia", both acquired and congenital, may be found in the historical literature, dating back to the penultimate decade of the nineteenth century. Conclusion: Although the word "aphantasia" was new as of 2015, the defining features have been described for more than 100 years. The data reviewed here provide an epistemic basis to support either retrospective diagnosis or identification of aphantasia.
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
Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia
Individuals with aphantasia, who cannot create mental images, show different brain activity during movement visualization compared to those without this condition. Our study found that aphantasia participants rely more on kinesthetic strategies, while controls use visual strategies. This suggests a unique cognitive approach to imagining movement in those with aphantasia.
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
The potential risks of opening the mind’s eye with psychedelic therapies
Psychedelic therapy is gaining traction, but there's concern about reports that people with aphantasia may develop visual imagery after using psychedelics. While this sounds promising, strong mental imagery can be linked to various mental health issues. The effects on mental health and the ethical implications of such changes need careful consideration and further research.
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, who lack visual imagery, experience worry differently than those who can visualize. Despite similar levels of anxiety, aphantasics are less likely to catastrophize and feel less threatened by their worries. They often perceive worries as physical sensations or abstract thoughts, suggesting that not having imagery may offer some protection against certain anxiety traits.
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
Recent research suggests that mental imagery can occur unconsciously, challenging the belief that it's solely a conscious experience. Individuals with aphantasia, who report no mental imagery, can still perform tasks requiring imagery and show signs of unconscious processing in their visual cortex. However, the evidence for unconscious imagery remains complex and requires further investigation.
Mckilliam, A., & Kirberg, M. (2025). Aphantasia and the unconscious imagery hypothesis. Consciousness and Cognition, 135, 103924. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2025.103924
The heart’s eye: how mental imagery influences romantic emotion
Vivid mental imagery significantly enhances romantic emotions, as shown by stronger brain activity and heart responses in individuals with high imagery ability. In contrast, those with aphantasia, who lack visual imagery, experience muted emotional responses. This research highlights how our mental images can deeply influence feelings of love and connection.
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
Mental visual imagery is key to recalling vivid personal memories. Research shows that people with Aphantasia, who can't create mental images, struggle with recalling memories, while congenitally blind individuals may rely on other senses to construct mental scenes. Understanding these differences can improve our approach to memory disorders and mental health.
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 helps reduce social anxiety by altering interpretation biases. Those with strong mental imagery abilities, especially in emotional feelings, benefit most. This internet-based training shows promise as a low-intensity intervention for social anxiety, highlighting the importance of mental imagery in its effectiveness.
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
Studies suggest that an internal focus leads individuals to rely on kinaesthetic information, which is undesirable and hard to use for less-skilled individuals. On the other hand, visual imagery may facilitate the use of kinaesthetic information. In the present study, for the first time, we investigated if vividness of visual imagery modulates the effects of attentional focus on motor performance by comparing two groups of novice young shooters: (1) hyperphantasic individuals (i.e., individuals with visual imagery ability as vivid as real seeing; n = 21), and (2) mid-range visual imagers (i.e., individuals with normal vividness of visual imagery; n = 20). Shot accuracy, performance time, and aiming trace speed (stability of the hold) were measured to quantify young novices’ performance. Our results indicated that an internal focus resulted in less accurate shots in mid-range imagers compared with hyperphantasic individuals. Furthermore, within-group analyses revealed that while hyperphantasic participants maintained their levels of accuracy during different attentional focus conditions, mid-range visual imagers had less accurate shots during both internal and external relative to their performance under control condition. In addition, both groups demonstrated an increased Performance time during internal and external focus relative to the control condition. Finally, aiming trace speed increased during an external relative to an internal focus condition. In conclusion, the present study suggests that hyperphantasia may buffer the negative effects of suboptimal attentional focus strategies during the performance of accuracy tasks by allowing for the flexible use of different attentional cues.
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
A new method for measuring mental imagery strength has been developed, improving on an existing binocular rivalry task. This enhanced approach better predicts individuals' self-reported imagery capacity, especially for those with aphantasia, a condition where people struggle to visualize images. The new scoring system is more reliable and effective for future 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
Aphantasia, a reduced ability to form mental images, doesn't affect the creation of false memories in verbal tasks. People with higher visual imagery might recall more but also make more errors. Aphantasia doesn't shield against false memories, suggesting visual tasks may be needed for further study.
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
Research shows that speaking multiple languages may enhance visual imagery abilities, potentially reducing the likelihood of aphantasia, a condition where individuals cannot visualize images in their minds. A study found that multilingual participants scored higher on a visual imagery test, suggesting that language fluency could boost cognitive processes related to mental imagery.
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
Challenging dual-coding theory: Picture superiority is preserved in aphantasia
Research shows that people with aphantasia, who can't create mental images, still remember pictures and symbols better than words. This challenges the idea that memory relies solely on visual and verbal codes. Aphantasic individuals even recall symbols better than pictures, suggesting that memory works in ways beyond traditional theories, prompting a reevaluation of how we understand memory processes.
Yan, M., Roberts, B. R., & Bainbridge, W. A. (2025). Challenging dual-coding theory: picture superiority is preserved in aphantasia. Journal of Vision, 25(9), 1974. doi:10.1167/jov.25.9.1974
Decoding hierarchical visual feature representations in mental imagery of aphantasics
Mental imagery, regarded as a quasi-perceptual phenomenon, typically generates visual experiences without external stimuli and recruits neural representations associated with visual features that overlap with those used in visual perception. While these shared neural representations are often assumed to underlie the phenomenal aspects of conscious visual experiences, their contribution to subjective visual awareness remains unclear. Aphantasia, characterized by the subjective inability to voluntarily generate visual mental imagery, offers a unique opportunity to examine how mental images are represented without subjective visual experience and to test the relationship between neural representations and conscious experience. We thus measured brain activity in aphantasics as they viewed and imagined object images using functional magnetic resonance imaging, applying deep neural network (DNN) feature decoding to comprehensively analyze hierarchical visual feature representations across multiple levels. Decoding models were trained on stimulus-induced brain activity in visual cortical areas to predict feature values of viewed images. We then applied these models to imagery-induced brain activity to decode DNN features, comparing them with category-averaged features from a large-scale image database. Feature values decoded from imagery-induced brain activity positively correlated with those of imagined objects across multiple DNN layers, enabling above-chance identification of imagined object categories by matching them to averaged candidate features. Remarkably, while the decoding performance of aphantasics was somewhat lower, it approached that of typical imagers. These results demonstrate that neural representations of hierarchical visual features, shared with visual perception, are engaged during mental imagery in aphantasia, even without subjective visual awareness. This dissociation between neural representations and visual awareness highlights significant limitations in assuming that decodable neural representations directly reflect the neural correlates of consciousness. While supporting the presence of mental imagery, decodable representations alone fall short of fully explaining conscious experience, underscoring the need for cautious interpretation as evidence of consciousness.
Horikawa, T. (2025). Decoding hierarchical visual feature representations in mental imagery of aphantasics. Journal of Vision, 25(9), 1824. doi:10.1167/jov.25.9.1824
Neurodiversity in mental simulation: conceptual but not visual imagery priming modulates perception across the imagery vividness spectrum
Mental imagery varies widely among individuals, from absent to extremely vivid. This study found that while visual imagery priming only works for those who can visualize, conceptual priming—thinking about movement without forming mental pictures—successfully influences perception across the entire imagery spectrum. These findings challenge the view that visual imagery is essential for internal mental simulation, suggesting people use diverse cognitive strategies that are equally valid rather than deficient.
Welker, Á., Pető-Plaszkó, O., Verebélyi, L., Gombos, F., Winkler, I., & Kovács, I. (2025). Neurodiversity in mental simulation: conceptual but not visual imagery priming modulates perception across the imagery vividness spectrum. Scientific Reports, 15(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-025-05100-2