Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Back to all research
Ask AI About This Paper

The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery

DOI: 10.1038/s41583-019-0202-9
Pearson, J. (2019). The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 20(10), 624–634. doi:10.1038/s41583-019-0202-9

Abstract

Mental imagery can be advantageous, unnecessary and even clinically disruptive. With methodological constraints now overcome, research has shown that visual imagery involves a network of brain areas from the frontal cortex to sensory areas, overlapping with the default mode network, and can function much like a weak version of afferent perception. Imagery vividness and strength range from completely absent (aphantasia) to photo-like (hyperphantasia). Both the anatomy and function of the primary visual cortex are related to visual imagery. The use of imagery as a tool has been linked to many compound cognitive processes and imagery plays both symptomatic and mechanistic roles in neurological and mental disorders and treatments. Mental imagery plays a role in a variety of cognitive processes such as memory recall. In this review, Joel Pearson discusses recent insights into the neural mechanisms that underlie visual imagery, how imagery can be objectively and reliably measured, and how it affects general cognition.

Authors

  • Joel Pearson30

What This Study Is About

This research looks at how our brains create mental imagery—the ability to "see" pictures in your mind, like a sunset or a friend’s face. The author explores why some people have a "blind" mind’s eye (called aphantasia) while others have mental images as clear as a photograph.

How They Studied It

This wasn't just one experiment; it was a massive "review," meaning the researcher analyzed hundreds of different studies. These studies involved thousands of participants, including those with aphantasia and those with typical imagery. The researchers used:
  • Brain Scans (fMRI): To watch which parts of the brain "light up" when people imagine things.
  • Vision Tests: Clever tricks, like showing different images to each eye at the same time, to objectively measure how much a mental image interferes with real seeing.

What They Found

The study found that imagining is like "seeing in reverse." When you see a real object, signals travel from your eyes to the back of your brain. When you *imagine* an object, your brain starts at the front (the "command center") and sends signals backward to the visual areas.
Key discoveries include:
  • It’s Real: Objective tests prove that people with aphantasia truly lack visual imagery; they aren't just "bad at describing it."
  • The "Where" vs. the "What": People with aphantasia often can’t see the *details* of an object (the "what"), but they can still remember where things are in space (the "where").
  • Different Strategies: People with aphantasia can perform almost any mental task—like memory or navigation—just as well as others, they just use different "mental software" to do it.

What This Might Mean

This suggests that aphantasia isn't a "disability," but a different way the brain is wired. It proves that human beings don't actually *need* mental pictures to think or be creative. However, because this is a review of many different studies, we have to be careful—not every person with aphantasia is the same, and we are still "suggesting" how these brain networks work rather than having 100% proof.

One Interesting Detail

There is a physical link in the brain! Research suggests that people with a smaller primary visual cortex (the part of the brain that first processes sight) actually tend to have much stronger and more vivid mental images.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.