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  • Updated 01.20.2026
  • Expires For CME 01.20.2029

Aphantasia

Authors
Paula Argueta BS, Rajesh K Kana PhD
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Editor
Victor W Mark MD
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Cite this article

Introduction

Overview

Zeman and colleagues coined the term “aphantasia” in 2015 to refer to the reduced or complete absence of visual mental imagery (28). Although public interest in aphantasia grew significantly over the years, the research remains in its infancy. Recent human brain mapping studies reveal alterations in brain activity and connectivity (eg, prefrontal-visual network; hippocampus-visual/perceptual cortex) in aphantasics (20; 22). These findings suggest an adverse effect on cognitive functions that include memory and language processing. At the opposite end of aphantasia is hyperphantasia, extremely vivid visual imagery that competes with perceiving the environment.

Key points

• Aphantasia is either congenital or acquired, and there is suggestion of a genetic basis.

• Aphantasia is commonly identified by self-reported assessment using the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ, VVIQ-2); however, more objective measures are under research, such as pupillary responses to light.

• Research thus far highlights that visual imagery impairment impedes working memory, episodic memory, autobiographical memory, and object and spatial memory.

• Subtypes of aphantasia may exist, such as object versus spatial aphantasia, moderate to extreme aphantasia, and multisensory versus unisensory aphantasia.

• Voluntary versus involuntary imagery remains an area of research for further understanding aphantasia.

• Hyperphantasia is extremely vivid visual imagery.

Historical note and terminology

Aphantasia is not newly identified. Dating back to the 1800s, Francis Galton identified “non-imagers” in his Breakfast study as those who could not visualize their breakfast from that morning (12). With the advancement of neuroscience, in 2010 Zeman reported an individual who abruptly lost the ability to visualize in the mind’s eye after undergoing a medical procedure (31). Following a media report of the case study, 21 individuals contacted Zeman and his team to report that they had the same cognitive variation, except that it had been present since birth. After analyzing their features, the scientists coined “aphantasia” as the name for the phenomenon (28).

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