Rajesh Kana, Ph.D.In moments of stress or sadness, many people can find comfort by escaping to their “happy place.” For some it could be the beach, a lake or the mountains; but for others, this form of visualization is not an option. This is the reality for individuals with aphantasia, a neurological condition in which individuals are unable to generate mental images.
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted a comprehensive review of 52 existing aphantasia research studies in hopes to uncover patterns and further the understanding of how imagination functions in the brain and what the future in aphantasia research could be.
Rajesh Kana, Ph.D., professor in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences and associate dean for Graduate and Continuing Education, says their review found that individuals with aphantasia have a weaker connection between their prefrontal cortex and the visual brain network, a key difference from those who can experience vivid mental imagery.
“There are differences in brain responses — brain activity and connectivity — between the hippocampus and visual-perceptual areas during the process of accessing past experiences from memory,” Kana said. “For those with aphantasia, their brain’s visual and higher cognitive units may not be working in tandem, which has an adverse effect on their memorization, including their working memory, autobiographical memory, episodic memory, and object and spatial memory.”
According to Kana, aphantasia can be a condition that is present from birth or can be a result from a head injury. Most individuals remain unaware they lack the ability to imagine or create mental images until adulthood.
Another finding from the study was a notable link between aphantasia and autism spectrum disorder. Individuals with aphantasia were more likely to score higher on the autism spectrum quotient, suggesting a potential overlap in cognitive traits between the two conditions.
Kana says that, while aphantasia has recently received more research and clinical interest, there is still more investigation that needs to be done, especially to understand the prevalence among school-age children.
“There is a need to diagnose aphantasia in younger kids more quickly and accurately as it could have a crucial impact on their academic and social lives,” Kana said. “We believe our study has provided a comprehensive picture of the landscape of aphantasia research, and while it is rather limited, we hope to highlight the need for further research on this condition.”