Recent research has shown that those with the ability to vividly imagine have a strong connection between the visual network and areas of the brain associated with decision-making. The study highlighted memory and personality differences between individuals with strong visual imagery abilities and those unable to form mental images.
Aphantasia
The research conducted by the University of Exeter and published in the journal "Cerebral Cortex Communications" sheds new light on why an estimated one-third of the population lacks imagination. In 2015, Professor Adam Zeman from the University of Exeter coined the term "aphantasia" for this phenomenon.
Scans revealed that individuals with a high capacity for mental imagery have a stronger connection between the visual network, which processes what we see and is activated during mental imagery, and the prefrontal cortex involved in decision-making and attention.
These strong connections were evident in scans conducted during resting periods when participants were relaxed, possibly in a state of daydreaming, according to the news outlet "News NZ AI."
Zeman stated, "Our research indicates for the first time that the weak connection between brain parts responsible for vision and the frontal areas involved in decision-making and attention leads to aphantasia. However, this should not be seen as a deficiency, but rather as a different way of engaging with the world."
