The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery

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.

What This Study Is About

This research review explores how the brain creates mental imagery—the ability to picture things in your mind—and why this ability varies so much between people. It specifically looks at the biological differences between those with aphantasia (no mental imagery) and hyperphantasia (extremely vivid, life-like imagery).

How They Studied It

The author reviewed decades of research, including brain imaging (fMRI) and behavioral tests. One key method discussed is "binocular rivalry," an objective test where different images are shown to each eye; what a person "sees" first can reveal the strength of their mental imagery without relying on self-reporting. The study compared brain structure and activity across thousands of participants from various previous experiments.

What They Found

Researchers discovered that the strength of a person's "mind's eye" is linked to the size and activity of the primary visual cortex (the part of the brain that processes sight). People with stronger mental imagery tend to have a smaller visual cortex and lower levels of "background noise" in their brain activity. In contrast, aphantasia may be linked to a larger visual cortex or higher levels of neural noise that "drown out" the internal signals needed to form an image.

What This Might Mean

This suggests that aphantasia isn't just a matter of imagination, but is rooted in the physical architecture of the brain. It indicates that mental imagery is a "top-down" process where higher brain areas send signals back to the visual centers. However, the study notes that even without mental images, people with aphantasia can often perform just as well on memory tasks by using different cognitive strategies, suggesting the brain has multiple ways to solve the same problem.

One Interesting Detail

The study highlights that while people with aphantasia cannot voluntarily picture a loved one's face, they may still experience involuntary imagery, such as flashes of images during dreams, suggesting the brain's "imaging hardware" might still be present but inaccessible to conscious control.

The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery

Abstract

Authors

The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery

Abstract

Authors

The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery

Abstract

Authors

The human imagination: the cognitive neuroscience of visual mental imagery

Abstract

Authors

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

Joel Pearson

Merlin Monzel

Adam Zeman

Rebecca Keogh

Martin Reuter

Juha Silvanto

Paolo Bartolomeo

Carla Dance

Jianghao Liu

Fraser Milton