Cortical activity involved in perception and imagery of visual stimuli in a subject with aphantasia. An EEG case report

Furman and colleaguesJuly 2022

Abstract
What This Study Is About
How They Studied It
What They Found
What This Might Mean
One Interesting Detail
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Cite this paper

Abstract

Aphantasia has been described as the inability to voluntarily evoke mental images using the "mind's eye." We studied a congenital aphantasic subject using neuropsychological testsand 64 channel EEG recordings, in order to studycortical activity involved in perception and imagery evaluating event-related potentials(N170, P200, N250). The subject is in the normal range of the neuropsychological tests performed, except for specific imagery tests. The EEG results show that when he evokes the same mental image, he starts the evoking process from left temporal instead of frontal areas, he does not activate occipital visual nor left anterior parietal areas.

Our summary in plain words

What This Study Is About

Researchers wanted to see how the brain of someone with aphantasia—the inability to create mental images—functions compared to typical visualizers. They specifically looked at whether the brain uses different pathways or regions when trying to "see" a face in the mind's eye.

How They Studied It

This was a case study of a 35-year-old man, referred to as A.P., who has had aphantasia since birth. Researchers used an EEG (a cap with sensors that measures electrical activity in the brain) to track his brain waves in real-time. They compared his brain activity during two different tasks: looking at an actual picture of a face (perception) and trying to imagine a face (imagery). They also gave him a battery of standard memory and intelligence tests to ensure his overall cognitive abilities were typical.

What They Found

The study found that while A.P.’s brain reacted normally when looking at real pictures, it behaved differently during the imagery task. In typical visualizers, the brain usually starts the process of "imagining" in the frontal areas (the part of the brain responsible for planning and control) and then activates the visual areas at the back of the head. In A.P., the process started in the temporal lobe (an area linked to memory) and failed to activate the primary visual or parietal areas. Essentially, his brain skipped the "visual" step of the process.

What This Might Mean

These findings suggest that aphantasia isn't necessarily a problem with memory or general intelligence, but rather a specific difference in how the brain's "wiring" handles the retrieval of visual information. It suggests that for some, the brain may try to access the concept of an image through memory centers without successfully triggering the visual machinery needed to actually "see" it. Because this is a study of just one person, more research is needed to see if these same brain patterns exist in others with aphantasia.

One Interesting Detail

Despite being unable to picture a face in his mind, A.P. performed exceptionally well on a "Mental Rotation" test—a task where you have to mentally turn a 3D shape to see if it matches another. This shows that he can solve complex spatial problems even without using visual mental imagery.

This summary was written with AI and may contain errors. Check the original paper.

Authors

Mariano Furman
Departamento de Medicina Legal Psiquiatría y Patología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
1 paper in the library
Pablo Fleitas-Rumak
Departamento de Toxicología y Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1 paper in the library
Pilar Lopez-Segura
Departamento de Medicina Legal Psiquiatría y Patología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
1 paper in the library
Martín Furman
Asociación Civil Accionar Prevención, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1 paper in the library
Gustavo Tafet
Fundación Internacional para el Desarrollo de las Neurociencias, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
1 paper in the library
Gabriel A. de Erausquin
Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, USA
1 paper in the library
Tomás Ortiz
Departamento de Medicina Legal Psiquiatría y Patología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
1 paper in the library

Cite this paper

Furman, M., Fleitas-Rumak, P., Lopez-Segura, P., Furman, M., Tafet, G., de Erausquin, G. A., & Ortiz, T. (2022). Cortical activity involved in perception and imagery of visual stimuli in a subject with aphantasia. an eeg case report. Neurocase, 28(4), 344–355. doi:10.1080/13554794.2022.2122848

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Research Neurocase

Cortical activity involved in perception and imagery of visual stimuli in a subject with aphantasia. An EEG case report

Furman and colleaguesJuly 2022

Read the paper

Abstract
What This Study Is About
How They Studied It
What They Found
What This Might Mean
One Interesting Detail
Authors
Cite this paper

Abstract

Our summary in plain words

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

This summary was written with AI and may contain errors. Check the original paper.

Authors

Mariano Furman
Departamento de Medicina Legal Psiquiatría y Patología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
1 paper in the library
Pablo Fleitas-Rumak
Departamento de Toxicología y Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1 paper in the library
Pilar Lopez-Segura
Departamento de Medicina Legal Psiquiatría y Patología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
1 paper in the library
Martín Furman
Asociación Civil Accionar Prevención, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1 paper in the library
Gustavo Tafet
Fundación Internacional para el Desarrollo de las Neurociencias, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
1 paper in the library
Gabriel A. de Erausquin
Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer and Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Health San Antonio, USA
1 paper in the library
Tomás Ortiz
Departamento de Medicina Legal Psiquiatría y Patología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
1 paper in the library

Cite this paper

Topics

Theory & Definitions

Most-cited researchers

Recruit participants for your study

We can help you reach people across the imagery spectrum, from aphantasia to hyperphantasia.

Partner with us

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