AphantasiaResearch
Explore a comprehensive collection of academic papers, research studies, and scientific publications about aphantasia, imagery, and cognitive neuroscience.
Rendering aphantasia into the social realm
Aphantasia is linked to factual autobiographical memory and reduced empathy for verbal narratives. This suggests that mental imagery is a key component of social cognition and our ability to share experiences.
Zeman, A., Digard, B., Happé, F., Levine, B., & Monzel, M. (2026). Rendering aphantasia into the social realm. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2025.11.014
Why indecisive trials matter: Improving the binocular rivalry imagery priming score for the assessment of aphantasia
Researchers discovered that incorporating mixed trials into binocular rivalry scores increases the task's predictive validity for mental imagery. This provides a more reliable and efficient objective measure for identifying individuals with aphantasia.
Monzel, M., Scholz, C. O., Pearson, J., & Reuter, M. (2025). Why indecisive trials matter: improving the binocular rivalry imagery priming score for the assessment of aphantasia. Behavior Research Methods, 57(9). doi:10.3758/s13428-025-02780-6
Absence of shared representation in the visual cortex challenges unconscious imagery in aphantasia
Neural activity during imagery in aphantasics does not share the same representational patterns as actual perception. This challenges the theory of unconscious imagery, suggesting aphantasics instead utilize alternative cognitive strategies.
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
Beyond words: Examining the role of mental imagery for the Stroop effect by contrasting aphantasics and controls
People with aphantasia showed a reduced Stroop effect in accuracy compared to controls. This suggests that mental imagery of color words interferes with perception, identifying imagery as a partial cause of this cognitive interference.
Monzel, M., Rademacher, J., Krempel, R., & Reuter, M. (2025). Beyond words: examining the role of mental imagery for the stroop effect by contrasting aphantasics and controls. Cognition, 259, 106120. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2025.106120
The Phenomenology of Offline Perception: Multisensory Profiles of Voluntary Mental Imagery and Dream Imagery
Researchers found that voluntary and dream imagery rely on distinct multisensory networks that overlap more during lucid dreaming. This suggests both are forms of offline perception that differ primarily in levels of cognitive control.
Bilzer, M., & Monzel, M. (2025). The phenomenology of offline perception: multisensory profiles of voluntary mental imagery and dream imagery. Vision, 9(2), 37. doi:10.3390/vision9020037
Stage 2 Registered Report: Propositional Thought Is Sufficient for Imaginal Extinction as Shown by Contrasting Participants With Aphantasia, Simulated Aphantasia, and Controls
People with aphantasia achieved successful fear extinction despite lacking mental imagery. This indicates that propositional thought is sufficient for exposure therapy, making these clinical treatments viable for those without a mind's eye.
Monzel, M., Agren, T., Tengler, M., Karneboge, J., & Reuter, M. (2025). Stage 2 registered report: propositional thought is sufficient for imaginal extinction as shown by contrasting participants with aphantasia, simulated aphantasia, and controls. Psychophysiology, 62(1). doi:10.1111/psyp.14756
Definition: Aphantasia
Researchers defined aphantasia as the absence of imagery and proposed specific labels for deficits across various sensory modalities. This provides a standardized framework to improve consistency in scientific research and clinical diagnosis.
Zeman, A., Monzel, M., Pearson, J., Scholz, C. O., & Simner, J. (2025). Definition: aphantasia. Cortex, 182, 212–213. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2024.07.019
Affective processing in aphantasia and potential overlaps with alexithymia: Mental imagery facilitates the recognition of emotions in oneself and others
People with aphantasia show reduced emotional responses to verbal stimuli and slower recognition of others' emotions. This suggests mental imagery is a vital mechanism for amplifying emotional experiences and facilitating social cognition.
Monzel, M., Karneboge, J., & Reuter, M. (2024). Affective processing in aphantasia and potential overlaps with alexithymia: mental imagery facilitates the recognition of emotions in oneself and others. Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatry, 11, 100106. doi:10.1016/j.bionps.2024.100106
Hippocampal-occipital connectivity reflects autobiographical memory deficits in aphantasia
People with aphantasia recalled fewer internal memory details, linked to reduced hippocampal-visual cortex connectivity. This suggests that functional interaction between these regions is essential for retrieving vivid personal memories.
Monzel, M., Leelaarporn, P., Lutz, T., Schultz, J., Brunheim, S., Reuter, M., & McCormick, C. (2024). Hippocampal-occipital connectivity reflects autobiographical memory deficits in aphantasia. eLife, 13. doi:10.7554/eLife.94916.3
Neuronal activation patterns during self-referential pain imagination
Imagining painful scenarios recruits brain regions associated with actual pain processing, including the somatosensory cortex. This suggests pain imagination is a top-down simulation that may be significantly altered in people with aphantasia.
Vetterlein, A., Plieger, T., Monzel, M., Hogeterp, S. A., Wagner, L., Grünhage, T., Felten, A., Trautner, P., Karneboge, J., & Reuter, M. (2024). Neuronal activation patterns during self-referential pain imagination. Neurobiology of Pain, 16, 100158. doi:10.1016/j.ynpai.2024.100158
Aphantasia and involuntary imagery
Researchers found that aphantasia impairs involuntary imagery like dreams, afterimages, and reading-induced mental images. This suggests aphantasia is a general imagery deficit rather than a specific lack of voluntary control.
Krempel, R., & Monzel, M. (2024). Aphantasia and involuntary imagery. Consciousness and Cognition, 120, 103679. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2024.103679
No verbal overshadowing in aphantasia: The role of visual imagery for the verbal overshadowing effect
People with aphantasia did not experience the verbal overshadowing effect when describing faces. This suggests that the effect relies on visual imagery to interfere with recognition memory.
Monzel, M., Handlogten, J., & Reuter, M. (2024). No verbal overshadowing in aphantasia: the role of visual imagery for the verbal overshadowing effect. Cognition, 245, 105732. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105732
Where’s Wanda? The influence of visual imagery vividness on visual search speed measured by means of hidden object pictures
People with aphantasia were significantly slower than controls at finding hidden objects in complex scenes. This indicates that mental imagery facilitates top-down processing in real-world visual perception.
Monzel, M., & Reuter, M. (2024). Where’s wanda? the influence of visual imagery vividness on visual search speed measured by means of hidden object pictures. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 86(1), 22–27. doi:10.3758/s13414-022-02645-6
The role of dopamine in visual imagery—An experimental pharmacological study
Researchers are investigating whether acute dopamine depletion reduces the strength of voluntary mental imagery. This could identify a neurochemical mechanism for aphantasia and suggest potential pharmacological interventions to enhance imagery.
Monzel, M., Karneboge, J., & Reuter, M. (2024). The role of dopamine in visual imagery—an experimental pharmacological study. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 102(1). doi:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jnr.25262
Aphantasia within the framework of neurodivergence: Some preliminary data and the curse of the confidence gap
People with aphantasia underestimate their performance on visual tasks despite having typical school grades. This confidence gap suggests that framing aphantasia as a disorder may cause harmful and unnecessary self-stigmatization.
Monzel, M., Dance, C., Azañón, E., & Simner, J. (2023). Aphantasia within the framework of neurodivergence: some preliminary data and the curse of the confidence gap. Consciousness and Cognition, 115, 103567. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2023.103567
No increased prevalence of prosopagnosia in aphantasia: Visual recognition deficits are small and not restricted to faces
People with aphantasia show mild, general visual recognition deficits rather than a specific link to prosopagnosia. This suggests that mental imagery plays a broad role in enhancing recognition memory across various stimulus types.
Monzel, M., Vetterlein, A., Hogeterp, S. A., & Reuter, M. (2023). No increased prevalence of prosopagnosia in aphantasia: visual recognition deficits are small and not restricted to faces. Perception, 52(9), 629–644. doi:10.1177/03010066231180712
Imaginal extinction without imagery: Dissociating the effects of visual imagery and propositional thought by contrasting participants with aphantasia, simulated aphantasia, and controls
Researchers found that imaginal extinction of fear can occur without visual imagery in people with aphantasia. This suggests propositional thought alone can drive fear reduction, potentially making exposure therapy more tolerable for patients.
Monzel, M., Agren, T., Tengler, M., & Reuter, M. (2023). Imaginal extinction without imagery: dissociating the effects of visual imagery and propositional thought by contrasting participants with aphantasia, simulated aphantasia, and controls. Psychophysiology, 60(9). doi:10.1111/psyp.14271
Measuring imagery strength in schizophrenia: no evidence of enhanced mental imagery priming
People with schizophrenia showed no increase in voluntary visual imagery strength on subjective or objective measures. This suggests that hallucinations are driven by mechanisms other than enhanced voluntary mental imagery.
Wagner, S., & Monzel, M. (2023). Measuring imagery strength in schizophrenia: no evidence of enhanced mental imagery priming. Brain and Behavior, 13(9). doi:10.1002/brb3.3146
No general pathological significance of aphantasia: An evaluation based on criteria for mental disorders
Researchers found aphantasia generally lacks pathological significance despite minor memory impairments and distress in a subgroup. This suggests aphantasia should be classified as a non-clinical cognitive variant rather than a disorder.
Monzel, M., Vetterlein, A., & Reuter, M. (2023). No general pathological significance of aphantasia: an evaluation based on criteria for mental disorders. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 64(3), 314–324. doi:10.1111/sjop.12887
Is it really empathy? The potentially confounding role of mental imagery in self-reports of empathy
Aphantasics scored lower on verbal empathy tests but matched controls on image-based assessments. This suggests traditional empathy measures are confounded by imagery ability rather than reflecting true differences in emotional capacity.
Monzel, M., Keidel, K., & Reuter, M. (2023). Is it really empathy? the potentially confounding role of mental imagery in self-reports of empathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 103, 104354. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2023.104354