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What is aphantasia? A conceptual articulation and empirical evaluation

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109431
Lorenzatti, J. J. (2026). What is aphantasia? a conceptual articulation and empirical evaluation. Neuropsychologia, 109431. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2026.109431

Abstract

In 2015, Adam Zeman and colleagues coined the term “aphantasia” to describe the apparent inability of some individuals to conjure mental images, leading to the virtual rediscovery of this condition and sparking renewed interest in the literature on mental imagery. Ten years later, where do we stand? This article surveys current empirical research on aphantasia, focusing on five recently published comparative neurophysiological studies and how they mesh with four hypotheses proposed to account for reports of absence of mental imagery. These hypotheses explain such reports in terms of (i) a discrepancy in the use of concepts, (ii) a failure of introspection, (iii) a deficit in access to imagistic representations, and (iv) an absence of imagistic representations. The article concludes that these studies reveal neural differences between aphantasics and other individuals that allow us to reject the first two hypotheses and to consolidate the latter two as plausible explanations of aphantasia, with the final hypothesis emerging in a comparatively stronger position to provide a general account. The nature of the neural differences between these groups and how to understand them, however, remain far from clear, and the resolution of this issue presupposes the resolution of an ongoing debate between two neural models of mental imagery.

Authors

  • Joel J. Lorenzatti2

What This Study Is About

Researchers wanted to solve a mystery: what is actually happening in the brain of someone with aphantasia—the inability to create mental imagery (pictures in the "mind's eye")? They looked at whether the brain is failing to create these "mental drawings" or if it’s simply failing to "see" the drawings it has already made.

How They Studied It

This wasn't just one experiment; it was a deep dive into five major recent studies. Researchers used fMRI scans (special brain cameras that show which parts of the brain are active) to look at hundreds of people. They compared three groups:
  • Aphantasics: People who see nothing in their minds.
  • Controls: People with typical, average mental imagery.
  • Hyperphantasics: People with "HD" mental imagery that is as vivid as real life.
Participants performed tasks like trying to "see" a friend's face, imagining a sunset, or remembering a specific event from their past while the scanners watched their brain activity.

What They Found

The study confirmed that aphantasia is a real physical difference in how the brain works, not just a "lack of imagination."
  • Different Pathways: Aphantasics often solved memory puzzles just as well as everyone else, but they used different brain "roads" to get the answer.
  • The "Boss" and the "Artist": In typical brains, the front of the brain (the "Boss") sends a strong signal to the back of the brain (the "Artist") to draw a picture. In aphantasics, this connection is much weaker.
  • Quiet Vision: When trying to visualize, the vision centers in aphantasic brains stayed much quieter than in people who can see mental images.

What This Might Mean

This research suggests that aphantasia isn't a "broken" brain, but a different way of processing information. It points to two possibilities: either the brain doesn't create the "image files" at all, or the files are created but the "monitor" is unplugged so the person can't consciously see them. Because these five studies used different methods, we can't be 100% certain which theory is "the" answer yet, but it proves that the experience of a "blind mind" has a clear biological cause.

One Interesting Detail

One study found that when aphantasics tried to imagine a shape, their brain actually showed the *correct pattern* for that shape—they just weren't aware of it! It’s like the brain was drawing the picture in a dark room where the person couldn't see it.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.