Aphantasia Research

Evolving library of aphantasia research. Discover the science behind extreme imagination, aphantasia and hyperphantasia. Share the latest knowledge.

Diverse Minds: Exploring Individual Differences in Visual Imagery and Special Cases

DeKock, K. (2025). Diverse minds: Exploring individual differences in visual imagery and special cases. The Confluence, 4(1). doi:10.62608/2150-2633.1069

This study explores the wide range of human experiences with visual imagery—from no imagery at all (aphantasia) to extremely vivid imagery (hyperphantasia). Visual imagery refers to the ability to picture things in the “mind’s eye,” and while most people can do this to some degree, the intensity varies greatly. Researchers examined how mental imagery connects to memory, learning, creativity, and emotion. People with hyperphantasia often have highly detailed mental pictures that can enhance creativity but may also increase emotional sensitivity or distress, especially when recalling negative experiences. On the other end, individuals with aphantasia tend to rely more on logic and facts than mental pictures. This can make emotional recall or visualization-based learning more difficult, but many adapt well and excel in fields like science or math. To study these differences, researchers used self-report questionnaires (where participants describe their own imagery experiences) and performance tasks. While self-reporting has limitations, it remains one of the best tools available for now. The study also highlighted that personality, gender, and brain structure might all play a role in how vivid someone's imagery is. Understanding these individual differences helps researchers, educators, and clinicians better support people across the imagery spectrum. The paper calls for more research, especially on hyperphantasia and the “in-between” experiences, to better understand how our inner worlds shape our outer lives.

Mental imagery through the lens of aphantasia

Scholz, C. O. (2025). Mental imagery through the lens of aphantasia. Mind & Language. doi:10.1111/mila.12560

A debate has emerged in aphantasia research: could people who can't consciously visualize actually have "unconscious" mental imagery happening in their brains? Philosopher Bence Nanay proposed this possibility, suggesting that aphantasics might still generate visual representations without being aware of them. To test this theory, researchers used brain imaging technology to observe the minds of people with aphantasia and typical visualizers during imagery tasks. They looked for "shared representations"—matching brain patterns between imagination and actual seeing. In typical visualizers, these patterns overlapped significantly, like two puzzle pieces fitting together. However, in people with aphantasia, the brain patterns were completely different between seeing and imagining, even though their brains were still active during imagery attempts. The research also explored whether aphantasics might have unconscious imagery triggered by sounds or other senses. While some brain activity occurred, it didn’t show the same signature patterns as conscious visual processing. Interestingly, when researchers tested the Stroop effect (where reading color words interferes with naming ink colors), people with aphantasia showed a reduced effect, supporting the idea that mental imagery normally plays a role in this task. The conclusion challenges Nanay’s theory: people with aphantasia don’t appear to have unconscious visual imagery. Instead, they likely use entirely different cognitive strategies, such as verbal or spatial reasoning, to accomplish tasks that others solve through mental pictures.

Interoception, insula, and agency: a predictive coding account of aphantasia

Silvanto, J. (2025). Interoception, insula, and agency: a predictive coding account of aphantasia. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1564251. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1564251

Researchers have proposed a new explanation for aphantasia—the inability to voluntarily create mental images—suggesting it may result from how our brain processes internal bodily signals (called interoception) through a brain region called the insula. The theory has two key components: individuals with aphantasia may struggle to integrate bodily sensations with mental processes, which normally gives imagery its "embodied" quality, and they may experience reduced "sense of agency" over generating mental images. Using a "predictive coding" framework, researchers suggest our brain normally creates mental imagery through top-down predictions from higher brain regions to sensory areas, but in aphantasia, these predictions don't receive enough amplification due to reduced precision of interoceptive signals, preventing imagery from reaching conscious awareness. Interestingly, many people with aphantasia can still experience visual dreams, suggesting the issue isn't with visual processing itself but with voluntary image creation, and the theory also explains why people with aphantasia often have difficulties integrating information across different senses.

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