No increase in corticospinal excitability during motor simulation provides a platform to explore the neurophysiology of aphantasia

Esselaar and colleaguesFebruary 2024

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

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Explicit and implicit motor simulations are impaired in individuals with aphantasia’, by Dupont et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcae072) in Brain Communications

Our summary in plain words

What This Study Is About

This scientific commentary discusses a breakthrough study that used brain stimulation to see if people with aphantasia—the inability to create mental images—also have trouble "simulating" physical movements in their minds. It explores whether aphantasia is more than just a lack of visual "pictures" and actually involves a deeper difference in how the brain prepares for action.

How They Studied It

The researchers reviewed a study where participants with either typical imagery or aphantasia performed three tasks: imagining a "pinch" movement (kinaesthetic imagery), watching a video of a pinch (action observation), and visual imagery. Researchers used Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)—a non-invasive tool that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain—to measure "corticospinal excitability." This is essentially a measure of how "ready" the brain's motor system is to move.

What They Found

In people with typical imagery, simply imagining a movement or watching someone else do it caused their motor system to "rev up" and become more excitable. However, in people with aphantasia, this response was missing. Their brains did not show increased readiness during these mental tasks. This suggests that for those with aphantasia, the brain may struggle to simulate the physical sensation of moving, not just the visual image of it.

What This Might Mean

These findings suggest that aphantasia is not just a "failure of will" or a lack of awareness, but is tied to specific biological differences in how the brain processes simulations. It indicates that aphantasia might be a "multi-sensory" condition that affects how people imagine touch and movement. However, the commentary notes that future studies should test more people and adjust the timing of the brain pulses to confirm these results.

One Interesting Detail

While aphantasia is often defined by a lack of visual imagery, research suggests it is quite diverse: about 24% of people with aphantasia report a total absence of all mental senses (including sound, touch, and smell), while others may only lack visual "pictures."

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

Authors

Maaike Esselaar
3 papers in the library
Paul S Holmes
Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University , Manchester M1 7EL , UK
3 papers in the library
Matthew W. Scott
3 papers in the library
David J. Wright
3 papers in the library

Cite this paper

Esselaar, M., Holmes, P. S., Scott, M. W., & Wright, D. J. (2024). No increase in corticospinal excitability during motor simulation provides a platform to explore the neurophysiology of aphantasia. Brain Communications, 6(2). doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcae084

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Research Brain Communications

No increase in corticospinal excitability during motor simulation provides a platform to explore the neurophysiology of aphantasia

Esselaar and colleaguesFebruary 2024

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

Maaike Esselaar
3 papers in the library
Paul S Holmes
Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University , Manchester M1 7EL , UK
3 papers in the library
Matthew W. Scott
3 papers in the library
David J. Wright
3 papers 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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