AphantasiaResearch
Explore a comprehensive collection of academic papers, research studies, and scientific publications about aphantasia, imagery, and cognitive neuroscience.
Why indecisive trials matter: Improving the binocular rivalry imagery priming score for the assessment of aphantasia
This study improves the binocular rivalry priming score for reliably identifying people with aphantasia, a condition marked by absent or reduced mental imagery. The enhanced measure outperforms existing methods and is recommended for future aphantasia research.
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
Beyond words: Examining the role of mental imagery for the Stroop effect by contrasting aphantasics and controls
This study tests whether mental imagery causes the Stroop effect by comparing people with aphantasia to controls. Results show reduced Stroop interference in aphantasics, suggesting mental imagery contributes to but isn't solely responsible for the effect.
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
Stage 2 Registered Report: Propositional Thought Is Sufficient for Imaginal Extinction as Shown by Contrasting Participants With Aphantasia, Simulated Aphantasia, and Controls
Imaginal exposure is a standard procedure of cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of anxiety and panic disorders. It is often used when in vivo exposure is not possible, too stressful for patients, or would be too expensive. The Bio‐Informational Theory implies that imaginal exposure is effective because of the perceptual proximity of mental imagery to real events, whereas empirical findings suggest that propositional thought of fear stimuli (i.e., thinking about the stimuli without seeing them in the mind's eye) could be sufficient. To investigate whether mental imagery or propositional thought is crucial for the success of imaginal exposure, participants with the rare state of aphantasia (= absence of sensory mental imagery) and two control groups were subjected to a fear conditioning paradigm followed by imaginal exposure and a reinstatement procedure. During imaginal exposure, a control group (N = 30) stared at a bright screen to disrupt visual imagery by incoming luminance (=simulated aphantasia), while a second control group (N = 30) and participants with actual aphantasia (N = 30) kept their eyes closed. Results showed successful extinction in all groups, thus demonstrating that imaginal extinction is possible using propositional thought. Moreover, exploratory analyses revealed less subjective fear in people with aphantasia during the fear conditioning procedure, potentially due to similar mechanisms as in alexithymia, that is, a decoupling between physiological arousal and emotional experience.
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
Affective processing in aphantasia and potential overlaps with alexithymia: Mental imagery facilitates the recognition of emotions in oneself and others
This study examines how the absence of mental imagery in aphantasia affects emotion recognition and affective processing. People with aphantasia recognized emotions accurately but slower than controls, suggesting mental imagery aids emotional processing.
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 lack voluntary mental imagery but show reduced autobiographical memory details. Brain imaging reveals decreased hippocampal-visual cortex connectivity underlying these memory deficits.
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
This fMRI study examined 82 participants' brain activation during self-referential pain imagination, investigating whether pain sensitivity and locus of control moderate activity in pain-related regions. Findings advance understanding of neuronal processes underlying pain imagery used in clinical assessments.
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
No verbal overshadowing in aphantasia: The role of visual imagery for the verbal overshadowing effect
People with aphantasia don't experience the verbal overshadowing effect that impairs recognition memory in controls, suggesting visual imagery is necessary for this interference. This finding reveals how mental imagery mechanisms underlie verbal overshadowing in eyewitness testimony.
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 are slower at finding hidden objects than controls, showing visual imagery influences real-world visual search. This demonstrates that mental imagery vividness meaningfully affects how we perceive our environment.
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
This study investigates dopamine's role in visual imagery using acute tyrosine depletion in healthy participants. Results suggest dopamine significantly influences the vividness and strength of visual mental 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
No increased prevalence of prosopagnosia in aphantasia: Visual recognition deficits are small and not restricted to faces
People with aphantasia show general visual recognition deficits rather than face-specific impairments. Performance correlates with visual imagery vividness across the entire spectrum.
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
This study investigates whether visual imagery is necessary for imaginal extinction therapy by comparing people with aphantasia, simulated aphantasia, and controls using fear conditioning. Results suggest visual imagery, not propositional thought alone, drives emotional responses during imaginal exposure therapy.
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
No general pathological significance of aphantasia: An evaluation based on criteria for mental disorders
This study evaluates whether aphantasia (absence of mental imagery) qualifies as a mental disorder, finding it generally does not meet diagnostic criteria. However, 34.7% of aphantasic individuals experience clinically significant distress warranting individual assessment.
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
Mental imagery ability confounds self-reported empathy measurements when using verbal questionnaires but not visual ones. This suggests verbal empathy assessments may not purely measure empathy in people with reduced imagery ability.
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
Memory deficits in aphantasics are not restricted to autobiographical memory – Perspectives from the Dual Coding Approach
Study of 67 aphantasics reveals memory deficits extend beyond autobiographical memory to all tested domains. Visual imagery loss impairs visual and verbal short-term and long-term memory alike.
Monzel, M., Vetterlein, A., & Reuter, M. (2022). Memory deficits in aphantasics are not restricted to autobiographical memory – perspectives from the dual coding approach. Journal of Neuropsychology, 16(2), 444–461. doi:10.1111/jnp.12265
Imagine, and you will find – Lack of attentional guidance through visual imagery in aphantasics
People with aphantasia lack visual imagery but show impaired attentional guidance compared to controls. This supports that mental images influence information processing, not merely epiphenomena.
Monzel, M., Keidel, K., & Reuter, M. (2021). Imagine, and you will find – lack of attentional guidance through visual imagery in aphantasics. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 83(6), 2486–2497. doi:10.3758/s13414-021-02307-z
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