Abstract For most people, visual imagery is an innate feature of many our internal experiences, and appears to play a critical role in supporting core cognitive processes. Some individuals, however, lack the ability voluntarily generate altogether – condition termed “aphantasia”. Recent research suggests that aphantasia defined by absence imagery, rather than metacognitive awareness imagery. Here we further illustrate “fingerprint” aphantasia, demonstrating compared control participants with...

One proposed function of imagery is to make thoughts more emotionally evocative through sensory simulation, which can be helpful both in planning for future events and remembering the past, but also a hindrance when become overwhelming maladaptive, such as anxiety disorders. Here, we report novel test this theory using special population with no visual imagery: aphantasia. After multi-method verification aphantasia, show that condition, not general population, associated flat-line...

The pupillary light response is an important automatic physiological which optimizes reaching the retina. Recent work has shown that pupil also adjusts in to illusory brightness and a range of cognitive functions, however, it remains unclear what exactly drives these endogenous changes. Here, we show imagery correlates with objective measures sensory strength. Further, trial-by-trial phenomenological vividness visual tracked by response. We demonstrated group individuals without (aphantasia)...

Visual working memory provides an essential link between past and future events. Despite recent efforts, capacity limits, their genesis the underlying neural structures of visual remain unclear. Here we show that performance in memory--but not iconic memory--can be predicted by strength mental imagery as assessed with binocular rivalry a given individual. In addition, for individuals strong imagery, modulating background luminance diminished on tasks, but number strings. This suggests...

Abstract How much we can actively hold in mind is severely limited and differs greatly from one person to the next. Why some individuals have greater capacities than others largely unknown. Here, investigated why such large variations visual working memory (VWM) capacity might occur, by examining relationship between mental imagery. To assess participants were required remember orientation of a number Gabor patches make subsequent judgments about relative changes orientation. The sensory...

Visual hallucinations occur when our conscious experience does not accurately reflect external reality. However, these dissociations also regularly we imagine the world around us in absence of visual stimulation. We used two novel behavioural paradigms to objectively measure and voluntary mental imagery 19 individuals with Parkinson's disease (ten hallucinations; nine without) ten healthy, age-matched controls. then this overlap interrogate connectivity both within between major attentional...

The ability to remember and manipulate visual information is pervasive associated with many cognitive abilities. Yet despite the importance of working memory (VWM), there little consensus among researchers in field as which neural areas are necessary sufficient models best describe its capacity. Here, we propose that an assumption all people same way has led much contention inconsistencies field. By accepting multiple strategies methods perform a VWM task, introduce individual “precision”...

Mental imagery provides an essential simulation tool for remembering the past and planning future, with its strength affecting both cognition mental health. Research suggests that neural activity spanning prefrontal, parietal, temporal, visual areas supports generation of images. Exactly how this network controls remains unknown. Here, brain imaging transcranial magnetic phosphene data show lower resting excitability levels in early cortex (V1-V3) predict stronger sensory imagery. Further,...

The inability to visualise was given the name aphantasia in 2015 by Zeman and colleagues. In 2018 we published research showing that fifteen individuals who self-identified as having also demonstrated a lack of sensory visual imagery when undergoing binocular rivalry paradigm, suggesting more than just metacognitive difference. Here update these findings with over fifty participants show there is evidence for aphantasia. How paradigm scores relate vividness questionnaire (VVIQ) how can be...

Mental rotation tasks are frequently used as standard measures of mental imagery. However, aphantasia research has brought such use into question. Here, we assessed a large group individuals who lack visual imagery (aphantasia) on two tasks: three-dimensional block-shape, and human manikin task. In both tasks, those with had slower, but more accurate responses than controls. Both groups demonstrated classic linear increases in response time error-rate functions angular disparity. the...

Cognitive neuroscience research on mental imagery has largely focused the visual modality in unimodal task contexts. Recent studies have uncovered striking individual differences capacity, with some individuals reporting a subjective absence of conscious ability altogether ("aphantasia"). However, naturalistic is often multi-sensory, and preliminary findings suggest that many aphantasia also report lack other sensory domains (such as auditory or olfactory imagery). In this paper, we perform...

When we search for an object in array or anticipate attending to a future object, create 'attentional template' of the object. The definitions attentional templates and visual imagery share many similarities as well same neural characteristics. However, phenomenology these their perception are rarely, if ever discussed. Here, investigate relationship between two forms non-retinal phantom vision through use binocular rivalry technique, which allows us measure sensory strength absence...

Despite the desire to delve deeper into hallucinations of all types, methodological obstacles have frustrated development more rigorous quantitative experimental techniques, thereby hampering research progress. Here, we discuss these and, with reference visual phenomena, argue that experimentally induced phenomena (e.g. by flickering light and classical conditioning) can bring within reach objective behavioural neural measurement. Expanding scope hallucination raises questions about which...

When we live through a traumatic event some of us will go on to experience uncontrollable unpleasant memories the event. These intrusive are one hallmarks post-traumatic stress disorder. Intrusive or flashbacks typically described as visual, and their vividness predicts severity PTSD. If visual imagery is central development continuation then people without (aphantasia) should less, different, memories. To test this, group individuals with aphantasia underwent lab-based PTSD model: trauma...

Abstract One proposed function of imagery is to make thoughts more emotionally evocative through sensory simulations. Here we report a novel test this theory utilizing special population with no visual imagery: Aphantasia. After using multi-method verification aphantasia, show that condition, but not the general population, associated flat-line physiological response frightening written, perceptual scenarios, supporting imagery’s critical role in emotion.

Recent theories propose that like endogenous and exogenous visual attention, voluntary involuntary forms of phantom vision (e.g. mental imagery dreams) are related hence depend on overlapping mechanisms. However, the relationship between remains largely unknown. Here we assess this by investigating how is to (specifically illusions), a unique population with no (aphantasia). In our first study, presented individuals aphantasia seven different illusions (Hermann grid, Ponzo illusion, Kanizsa...

Abstract Mental imagery provides an essential simulation tool for remembering the past and planning future, with its strength affecting both cognition mental health. Research suggests that neural activity spanning prefrontal, parietal, temporal, visual areas supports generation of images. Exactly how this network controls remains unknown. Here, brain imaging transcranial magnetic phosphene data show lower resting excitability levels in early cortex (V1-V3) predict stronger sensory imagery....

16 schizophrenic Ss, exposed to a bright structureless visual field in perceptual deprivation situation, showed mean decreases of 0.25 cycles/second ( p < .05) alpha frequencies measured from occipital EEGs. The frequency occurred during both sessions drug-placebo test and retest, without the amount change significantly differing between drug vs placebo, or first second testing. correlated with measure field-dependency but not ratings symptomatology quality imagery reported by Ss. Such...