Aphantasia When You Are Blind in Your Mind

Aphantasia When You Are Blind in Your Mind March 15, 2019 Imagine that it is a warm summer day and you are sitting on the side of a swimming pool. The sun is shining down and there are children laughing and splashing in the water. What sort of images do you see in your mind as you think about this scene? If you are like the estimated 1 to 3 percent of the population with aphantasia, you may be unable to visualize any type of image in your head. Aphantasia is the proposed name for a condition involving an inability to visualize imagery. These individuals have no minds eye, or their imagination is essentially blind. This ability to visualize events and images plays an important part in peoples lives. People often visualize scenes, people, experiences, imaginings, objects, and planned events, among other things. When you think about a friend, for example, you might immediately visualize their face inside your mind. People with aphantasia are unable to visualize such a mental image. If you were to ask a person with aphantasia to imagine something, they could likely describe the object, explain the concept, and rattle off facts that they know about the object. But they would not be able to experience any sort of mental image to accompany this knowledge. Emerging Research This lack of mental imagery was described as early the late 1800s, yet it has remained a relatively unstudied phenomenon.  Francis Galton first described the occurrence in a paper on mental imagery published in 1880. In addition to noting that people experience various degrees of vividness when describing their mental visual imagery, he also reported that some people experienced no visual imagery at all. The condition is still largely unstudied and remains poorly understood, although further research is underway. Much of the available information stems from a few small studies and anecdotal accounts from people who have described their symptoms. It was not until the publication of a additional studies that interest has grown in the topic. The 2015 study introduced the first use of the term aphantasia and has led to a renewed interest in the phenomenon. The authors of the groundbreaking study were approached by a patientâ€"patient MXâ€"who had recently lost his ability to visualize information following a minor surgery. In 2005, a retired 65-year-old man visited a neurologist name Adam Zeman of the University of Exeter Medical School. The man, referred to in the literature as MX, had undergone a minor surgery after which he realized that he could no longer visualize images in his mind. Zemans search of the medical literature turned up little to explain why the man could no longer generate visual images within his minds eye. Researchers have long debated exactly how this ability to visualize inside the mind works and the role that it may play in planning and memory. While the patient described experiencing almost no imagery, his performance on tests of perception, visual imagery, and visual memory were all normal. After the details of the patients case were published in 2010, the researchers were approached by numerous individuals who described experiencing similar symptoms all their lives. Another study conducted by researchers from the University of New South Wales investigated the question of whether people with aphantasia were really unable to form mental images or if they simply had poor recall of these images. Using a technique call binocular rivalry, the researchers told participants to imagine an image. Two different images were then shown to the participants via a 3D headset. One eye saw one image, while the other eye saw a completely different image. When told to imagine one of these images beforehand, people without aphantasia are more likely to see the image they had previously envisioned. There was no such correlation between the imagined image and the dominant image people saw. These findings suggest that it is not that those with aphantasia have poor recall of their imaginingsâ€"they literally have no such visual imaginings to begin with. Possible Explanations While research is limited, the available findings offer some clues as to what might explain aphantasia. In MXs case, functional MRI scans found that brain activation patterns when looking at pictures of famous faces had no significant differences from normal controls. However, when the patient tried to visualize imagery, there was a significant reduction in activation patterns across posterior networks, while frontal region activity was significantly increased compared to controls.The researchers suggest that this indicates the patient relied on a different cognitive strategy during the imagery task.The authors further propose that such results indicate that performance on visual memory and visual imagery tasks are not dependent upon the actual experience of visual imagery. Aphantasia and Memory When people normally cue a memory, they are often able to imagine events almost as though they are replaying a video of the experience. They often recall specific imagery that stands out about the memory. For people with aphantasia, memories of events are often comprised simply of a listing of facts. While the exact nature and impact this condition are not yet clear, research does suggest that aphantasia may have a negative impact on memory. Someone with aphantasia might remember the day they were married, names of the people who attended, and even what the weather was like that day, but they will not be able to form a mental image of the events of the event. Some of those affected by the condition have also reported difficulty when recognizing faces or navigating spaces. This lack of visual memory might have some possible advantages, however. Because aphantasia leads to a lack of visual imagery, people could be less likely to be troubled by intrusive recollections or disturbing flashbacks. Living With Aphantasia The available studies suggest that having this condition does not necessarily hurt a persons success in life. Those identified with aphantasia include successful doctorate students, engineers, and other professionals. A number of questions remain about this condition, including just how prevalent it may be and whether it might have a genetic component. More Research Is Needed Researchers suggest that future investigations of the condition not only focus on its causes and effects, but also on possible ways of improving the ability to mentally visualize. Further research and a better understanding of the condition are needed to make such recommendations, however. If you suspect you might have aphantasia, consider exploring some new memory strategies. The inability to visualize can make some types of memorization more difficult, so you may need to experiment to find a technique that works for you. A Word From Verywell Research on aphantasia is still very much in its infancy, so there is still a great deal to learn. Many people with aphantasia do not even realize that their experience is any different than that of other people. It is simply part of their existence and has little impact on how they live their lives. Neurologist Adam Zeman, the researcher who coined the term aphantasia, described it as simply a fascinating variation in human experience rather than a medical disorder in a radio interview with the BBC. 11 Methods for Improving Your Memory