What This Study Is About
This study describes a rare case of "acquired aphantasia"—the sudden loss of the ability to create mental images—in a man following a complex medical treatment for cancer. Researchers aimed to understand how a major medical procedure like a stem cell transplant might lead to the disappearance of a person's "mind's eye."
How They Studied It
This is a case report focusing on one 62-year-old man undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer). During a difficult recovery from a stem cell transplant that included severe infections and a brief stay in intensive care, the patient reported he could no longer "see" anything in his head. To measure this, doctors used the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ), a standard test where people rate the clarity of their mental images on a scale. They followed his progress from the moment he reported the loss through a six-month follow-up.
What They Found
The patient initially scored the lowest possible points on the imagery test, indicating a total loss of mental visualization. He described seeing only "blackness" when trying to picture a recent meal or his golf game. While he did not suffer a stroke or obvious brain damage, he experienced several complications, including low oxygen levels and severe physical stress. Six months later, his ability to visualize had only slightly improved, but he still scored very low on the imagery scale, suggesting the change was largely permanent.
What This Might Mean
The study suggests that aphantasia can sometimes be triggered by intense medical trauma or the side effects of complex treatments, rather than just direct brain injury like a stroke. The researchers believe the loss might have been caused by a combination of factors: the toxic effects of high-dose chemotherapy, temporary low oxygen to the brain, or even the extreme psychological stress of a life-threatening illness. Because this is a study of only one person, it doesn't prove a single cause, but it highlights that our "mind's eye" can be sensitive to major changes in our overall health.
One Interesting Detail
Before this happened, the patient used to "mentally practice" his golf putts by picturing them in his head; after the transplant, he found he was completely unable to perform this mental rehearsal.