What does the brain do differently when it can't generate mental images? Researchers use fMRI, electrical stimulation, and connectivity mapping to find out.
Grol, Vingerhoets and De Raedt · Brain and Cognition
Adopting an observer perspective during memory recall increases activity in the right precuneus and angular gyrus compared to a field perspective. This suggests these brain regions are specifically involved in the detachment from one's own viewpoint.
Jung, Flores and Hunter · Frontiers in Psychology
The Hunter Imagination Questionnaire (HIQ) scores correlate with brain volumes in regions linked to memory, visualization, and the default mode network. This provides a validated tool to study the neural basis of imagination as a complex, naturalistic construct.
Pearson and colleagues · Trends in Cognitive Sciences
This review argues that visual imagery works like a weak form of seeing, with brain activity resembling perception's as early as the primary visual cortex. It also covers intrusive imagery in disorders such as PTSD and imagery-based therapy.
Schmidt, Ostwald and Blankenburg · NeuroImage
Tactile imagery activates the same primary somatosensory cortex regions as actual touch perception. This suggests that mental representations are grounded in early sensory areas and constructed through prefrontal-sensory interactions.
Kobayashi and colleagues · PLoS ONE
Gustatory imagery is mediated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) activating before the insular cortex (IC). This confirms the PFC acts as a top-down control center for retrieving taste memories from long-term storage.
Lotze and Halsband · Journal of Physiology-Paris
Motor imagery and execution share overlapping neural regions, though imagery specifically activates the premotor cortex rather than the primary motor area. This confirms that mental practice can effectively drive motor learning and rehabilitation.
Kobayashi and colleagues · NeuroImage
Gustatory imagery and perception share neural substrates in the insula, though imagery uniquely activates the left insula and frontal regions. This suggests that "top-down" retrieval of taste memories relies on distinct cortical pathways.
Yoo and colleagues · NeuroReport
Tactile imagery activates primary and secondary somatosensory areas that partially overlap with regions used during actual touch perception. This suggests that mental rehearsal of physical sensations shares common neural substrates with real sensory experiences.
Kjaer and colleagues · Cognitive Brain Research
Yoga Nidra meditation significantly increases endogenous dopamine release in the ventral striatum. This provides the first in vivo evidence that neurotransmitter regulation at the synaptic level can drive changes in conscious states.