Study Unveils insights into Aphantasia and Visual imagery
Aphantasic Participants Show Reduced Visual Cortex Response
The results suggest that individuals who report experiencing no visual imagery also show signs of reduced activation of the brain’s visual cortex in response to sounds
A recent study by led by the University of Glasgow and published in Current Biology highlights new findings about the relationship between visual imagery and multisensory integration in people with ‘blind imagination,’ or aphantasia.

The results suggest that individuals who report experiencing no visual imagery also show signs of reduced activation of the brain’s visual cortex in response to sounds
Research conducted by University of Glasgow and published in Current Biology, a scientific journal, delves into relationship between visual imagery and multisensory integration in people with ‘blind imagination,’ or aphantasia.
According to a press statement by Glasgow University, visual imagery refers to a sense of having ‘images’ in the mind, which may be from recalling previous visual experiences. When we observe something, our eyes send information to a region in the brain known as the visual cortex. In addition to receiving input from the external environment, known as feedforward information, the visual cortex also gets feedback from other brain areas. This feedback is essential for helping us contextualise and interpret what we see, but it can also enable us to experience visuals that aren’t present in the real world, as seen in visual imagery, it says.
The reasons behind aphantasia are still a matter of debate, with some evidence suggesting it may stem from a reduction in feedback to the visual system. This is what the researchers aimed to investigate in this study.
To conduct the research, blindfolded aphantasic participants were made to listen to auditory scenes. While previous findings from the research showed that auditory scenes are not only processed in auditory cortex but are also represented in the visual areas of the brain in blindfolded and congenitally blind participants, aphantasic participants report a reduced representation of sound content in their visual areas.
Thus, the results suggest that individuals who report experiencing no visual imagery also show signs of reduced activation of the brain’s visual cortex in response to sounds.
“Visual imagery comes naturally to me. If I am asked to describe a beautiful landscape, I would picture it in my mind and then describe it with my mind’s eye. Understanding that subjects with aphantasia are blind to the mind’s eye is intriguing to me. Our study helps to uncover that Aphantasia might go along with reduced feedback to the early visual cortex,” says Professor Lars Muckli, from the University’s School of Psychology and Neuroscience.
“One of the co-authors of the study has aphantasia, and it is fascinating to discuss subjective experiences with him to better understand how they differ,” he adds.