Mind blindness decoded: people who can’t see with their ‘mind’s eye’ still activate their visual cortex, study finds

February 26, 2025
UNSW Sydney

People with aphantasia still have a blueprint for mental imagery, even if they can’t consciously ‘see’ it.

Research has revealed that the part of the brain that processes picture-like visual information is wired differently in people with aphantasia – a condition where individuals cannot voluntarily generate visual mental imagery.

An international team of scientists, including researchers from UNSW Sydney, used a type of MRI brain scanning to find out more about the neural processes in people with aphantasia.

Read more: Mind blindness decoded: people who can’t see with their ‘mind’s eye’ still activate their visual cortex, study finds