AphantasiaResearch
Explore a comprehensive collection of academic papers, research studies, and scientific publications about aphantasia, imagery, and cognitive neuroscience.
Absence of shared representation in the visual cortex challenges unconscious imagery in aphantasia
Aphantasics lack perception-like neural representations during imagery despite having visual cortex activity and stimulus-specific information. The authors propose that shared neural representations between imagery and perception are essential to define true unconscious imagery.
Scholz, C. O., Monzel, M., & Liu, J. (2025). Absence of shared representation in the visual cortex challenges unconscious imagery in aphantasia. Current Biology, 35(13), R645–R646. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.009
Aphantasia as a functional disconnection
Aphantasia involves reduced connectivity between visual cortex and left prefrontal regions, not absent visual processing. Neurological patient studies confirm the prefrontal cortex is crucial for conscious visual awareness and subjective imagery experience.
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
Researchers used 7T fMRI to compare neural circuits of visual imagery between typical imagers and aphantasic individuals across five visual domains. Aphantasia appears linked to dysfunction in early visual areas rather than high-level visual cortex, despite preserved semantic knowledge.
Liu, J., Zhan, M., Hajhajate, D., Spagna, A., Dehaene, S., Cohen, L., & Bartolomeo, P. (2025). Visual mental imagery in typical imagers and in aphantasia: a millimeter-scale 7-t fmri study. Cortex, 185, 113–132. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2025.01.013
Probing the unimaginable: The impact of aphantasia on distinct domains of visual mental imagery and visual perception
This study examined visual perception and imagery across three groups: aphantasic, typical, and vivid imagers. Aphantasic participants showed comparable accuracy but slower response times, suggesting they use alternative strategies to complete visual tasks successfully.
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
Visual mental imagery engages the left fusiform gyrus, but not the early visual cortex: A meta-analysis of neuroimaging evidence
This meta-analysis reveals that visual mental imagery activates the left fusiform gyrus and fronto-parietal attention networks, but not early visual cortex. Individual differences in imagery vividness may depend on fronto-parietal network engagement.
Spagna, A., Hajhajate, D., Liu, J., & Bartolomeo, P. (2021). Visual mental imagery engages the left fusiform gyrus, but not the early visual cortex: a meta-analysis of neuroimaging evidence. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 122, 201–217. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.12.029
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