AphantasiaResearch
Explore a comprehensive collection of academic papers, research studies, and scientific publications about aphantasia, imagery, and cognitive neuroscience.
Mapping the imageless mind: Towards a taxonomy of aphantasia
This article proposes that aphantasia is not a single condition but rather encompasses at least three distinct forms, each with different causes and mechanisms.
Bartolomeo, P. (2025). Mapping the imageless mind: towards a taxonomy of aphantasia. Neuropsychologia, 219, 109276. doi:/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109276
Aphantasia as a functional disconnection
Brain scans reveal that people with aphantasia, who can't visualize images mentally, still process visual information normally. The issue lies in reduced communication between brain areas responsible for visual imagery and conscious awareness, explaining why they remember visual details without experiencing mental images.
Liu, J., & Bartolomeo, P. (2025). Aphantasia as a functional disconnection. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2025.05.012
Visual mental imagery in typical imagers and in aphantasia: A millimeter-scale 7-T fMRI study
Around 4% of people have aphantasia, meaning they can't visualize objects but can describe them. Using advanced brain imaging, researchers found that while aphantasics activate similar brain areas as typical imagers, they have reduced connectivity between key brain regions, suggesting a disconnect in processing visual information internally.
Liu, J., Zhan, M., Hajhajate, D., Spagna, A., Dehaene, S., Cohen, L., & Bartolomeo, P. (n.d.). Visual mental imagery in typical imagers and in aphantasia: a millimeter-scale 7-t fmri study. doi:10.1101/2023.06.14.544909
Probing the unimaginable: The impact of aphantasia on distinct domains of visual mental imagery and visual perception
People with aphantasia, who lack visual mental imagery, process visual information more slowly but with similar accuracy as others. They also have less confidence in their perception tasks. This suggests aphantasia involves slower processing and possibly different strategies to access visual information.
Liu, J., & Bartolomeo, P. (2023). Probing the unimaginable: the impact of aphantasia on distinct domains of visual mental imagery and visual perception. Cortex, 166, 338–347. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.003
Refusing to imagine? On the possibility of psychogenic aphantasia. A commentary on Zeman et al. (2015)
Aphantasia, the inability to create mental images, might sometimes be linked to psychological factors like stress or depression, not just brain damage. Some people may "refuse to imagine" due to emotional distress, suggesting a need for both neurological and mental health evaluations for those affected.
de Vito, S., & Bartolomeo, P. (2016). Refusing to imagine? on the possibility of psychogenic aphantasia. a commentary on zeman et al. (2015). Cortex, 74, 334–335. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2015.06.013
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