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MindEye: A VR Imagery Training System for Individuals with Acquired Visual Imagery Impairments and Mild Aphantasia

DOI: 10.1145/3757374.3771463
Tags:
Acquired AphantasiaHypophantasiaVisual Aphantasia
Wang, T., He, C., Song, R., Zhang, J., Xu, Y., Zhang, P., Guo, M., Li, G., & Deng, Z. (2025). Mindeye: a vr imagery training system for individuals with acquired visual imagery impairments and mild aphantasia. Proceedings of the SIGGRAPH Asia 2025 Posters, 1–3. doi:10.1145/3757374.3771463

Abstract

Visual imagery deficits, including aphantasia and acquired imagery impairments, significantly impact cognitive functioning yet lack effective interventions. We present MindEye, a VR-based training system combining guided imagery reconstruction with spatial-semantic association techniques to rebuild visual imagery pathways. The system features two modules that provide structured verbal cues and progressive visual scaffolding, and that preserve spatial cognition to strengthen imagery-memory connections. Our study with 6 participants demonstrated significant improvements across all measures: imagery clarity increased from 2.3 to 3.7, scene reconstruction from 52% to 76%, and spatial recall from 58% to 85%, with participants having initially low imaging ability showing the largest gains. These results suggest that combining guided imagery training with spatial-semantic association offers a promising therapeutic approach for individuals with imagery deficits.

Authors

  • Tian Wang1
  • Chenyang He2
  • Ruici Song1
  • Jinghan Zhang1
  • Yijing Xu1
  • Pei Zhang1
  • Mengyao Guo1
  • Guanyou Li1
  • Zhiwei Deng1

What This Study Is About

Researchers wanted to see if a Virtual Reality (VR) program called "MindEye" could help people who have trouble "seeing" things in their minds. They specifically looked at people with aphantasia (the inability to create mental images) and those who lost their "mind's eye" due to trauma.

How They Studied It

The team built a VR training system with two main "workout" modules for the brain.
  • The Participants: Six people took part, including individuals with PTSD and people who naturally struggle with mental imagery.
  • The Tasks: Using a VR headset, participants practiced observing detailed scenes that would slowly fade away. They then had to "reconstruct" the scene from memory. They also practiced a "memory palace" game, where they placed objects in a room and had to recall exactly where they were after the objects were hidden.

What They Found

The results were very encouraging! After just three sessions, participants showed measurable improvements:
  • Clarity: On a scale of 1 to 5, people’s self-reported imagery clarity jumped from a 2.3 to a 3.7.
  • Accuracy: Their ability to correctly rebuild a scene from memory improved from 52% to 76%.
  • Memory: Their ability to remember where objects were located rose from 58% to 85%.
The researchers found that people who started with the weakest imagery skills actually saw the biggest gains.

What This Might Mean

This suggests that the brain's "imaging muscles" might not be totally broken in people with aphantasia—they might just be "dormant." By using VR to bridge the gap between what we see with our eyes and what we store in our memory, we might be able to "jump-start" those mental pathways.
However, we have to be careful: this was a very small study with only six people. While the results are exciting, we need much larger studies to prove that this training works for everyone in the long term.

One Interesting Detail

The system uses a clever trick: it relies on spatial memory (our natural ability to remember where things are in a room) to help build visual imagery. It’s like using a map you already know to help you paint a picture you’ve forgotten!
This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.