Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-20168-6

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Motor Congenital Aphantasia Theory & Definitions

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

Abstract

Individuals who experience aphantasia have an inability to create sensory mental images, what lead to a range of cognitive and behavioral differences compared to the general population. However, little is known about how this phenomenon affects the creation of motor imagery. Our study aims to check the differences in changes of hemoglobine concentration between individuals with congenital aphantasia (AG) and control group (CG) during creating a kinesthetic (KMI) or visual-motor (VMI) representation of movement. Twenty participants (10 AG) who participated in the experiment were matched by age, gender, education level, and handedness. During data collection, a hemodynamic signal was recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscope (fNIRS). The participants performed a procedure that enabled the control of perspective and cognitive strategies during motor imagery using a haptic interface. The results indicate that AG demonstrate reduced oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the right middle frontal gyrus and right motor cortex regions. The findings suggest that AG primarily rely on semantic or kinesthetic strategies, while CG tend to use visual cognitive strategies during both the KMI and VMI tasks. Furthermore, we propose that AG may exhibit difficulty with the process of reorienting attention from exogenous to endogenous control.

Authors

Robert Kwaśniak1
Dariusz Zapała1
Paweł Augustynowicz1
Magdalena Szubielska1

What This Study Is About

This study explores how people with aphantasia—the inability to create mental images—perform "motor imagery," which is the act of imagining a physical movement without actually doing it. Researchers wanted to see if the brain activity and physical responses (like pupil changes) of aphantasic individuals differ from those who can visualize when they imagine moving their bodies.

How They Studied It

The researchers worked with 20 participants: 10 with congenital aphantasia (present from birth) and 10 "controls" who have typical mental imagery. Participants performed two types of tasks:

Kinesthetic imagery: Imagining the feeling of a movement.

Visual-motor imagery: Imagining watching themselves perform a movement.

While participants imagined these movements, the researchers used brain imaging (fNIRS) to track blood flow in the brain and eye-tracking technology to measure changes in pupil size.

What They Found

The study revealed several key differences:

Brain Activity: People with aphantasia showed significantly less activation in the right motor cortex and the right middle frontal gyrus—areas of the brain typically involved in planning and visualizing movement.

Pupil Response: While the control group’s pupils reacted to the "brightness" of what they were imagining, the aphantasic group showed no such pupil response during imagery tasks.

Performance: Despite these biological differences, both groups performed equally well on the actual tasks. People with aphantasia were just as accurate and fast, suggesting they used different mental "workarounds."

What This Might Mean

The findings suggest that while people with aphantasia can successfully think about and plan movements, they do so using different cognitive strategies. Instead of "seeing" the movement in their mind's eye, they likely rely on spatial awareness or verbal descriptions. This highlights that aphantasia isn't just a lack of pictures, but a fundamental difference in how the brain processes internal information. However, because the study used a small group of 20 people, more research is needed to see if these results apply to everyone with aphantasia.

One Interesting Detail

Even though they couldn't "see" the movements they were imagining, people with aphantasia showed stronger activation in the left side of the brain. This suggests they may be using language-based or "semantic" strategies—essentially talking themselves through the movement—to compensate for the lack of visual imagery.

Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia

Abstract

Authors

Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia

Abstract

Authors

Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia

Abstract

Authors

Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia

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

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