AphantasiaResearch
Explore a comprehensive collection of academic papers, research studies, and scientific publications about aphantasia, imagery, and cognitive neuroscience.
Interoception, insula, and agency: a predictive coding account of aphantasia
Aphantasia, the inability to create mental images, may stem from how the brain processes internal signals via the insula. This affects the integration of bodily sensations with mental processes, reducing the sense of agency over imagery creation, though visual dreams remain possible.
Silvanto, J. (2025). Interoception, insula, and agency: a predictive coding account of aphantasia. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1564251
How Interoception and the Insula Shape Mental Imagery and Aphantasia
Aphantasia, the inability to visualize mental images, may stem from how the brain integrates sensory experiences with internal body awareness. Key brain regions, the insula and anterior cingulate cortex, blend sensory and bodily signals, making imagery feel real. In aphantasia, these regions might not communicate effectively, affecting memory an...
Silvanto, J., & Nagai, Y. (2025). How interoception and the insula shape mental imagery and aphantasia. Brain Topography, 38(2). doi:10.1007/s10548-025-01101-6
Mental imagery as part of an ‘inwardly focused’ cognitive style
People who are more introspective and self-aware often experience vivid mental imagery, linked to their ability to focus on internal signals and emotions. This inward focus is associated with certain personality traits and is negatively related to alexithymia, which is difficulty in identifying and describing emotions.
Kvamme, T. L., Sandberg, K., & Silvanto, J. (2024). Mental imagery as part of an ‘inwardly focused’ cognitive style. Neuropsychologia, 204, 108988. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108988
Only minimal differences between individuals with congenital aphantasia and those with typical imagery on neuropsychological tasks that involve imagery
Individuals with aphantasia, who lack voluntary visual imagery, show differences in response time but not accuracy in certain cognitive tasks compared to those with typical imagery. The study suggests minimal cognitive differences as a group, questioning if aphantasia affects cognitive function or conscious experience.
Pounder, Z., Jacob, J., Evans, S., Loveday, C., Eardley, A. F., & Silvanto, J. (2022). Only minimal differences between individuals with congenital aphantasia and those with typical imagery on neuropsychological tasks that involve imagery. Cortex, 148, 180–192. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2021.12.010
Visual working memory performance in aphantasia
Aphantasia, the inability to form mental images, may not always affect cognitive tasks. An aphantasic individual performed similarly to others in tasks involving mental imagery but struggled with high-precision visual memory tasks. This suggests mental imagery aids in precise visual memory, though alternative strategies can sometimes compensate.
Jacobs, C., Schwarzkopf, D. S., & Silvanto, J. (2018). Visual working memory performance in aphantasia. Cortex, 105, 61–73. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2017.10.014
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