Cortical activity involved in perception and imagery of visual stimuli in a subject with aphantasia. An EEG case report

Neurocase. 2022 Aug;28(4):344-355. doi: 10.1080/13554794.2022.2122848. Epub 2022 Sep 14.

Abstract

Aphantasia has been described as the inability to voluntarily evoke mental images using the "mind's eye." We studied a congenital aphantasic subject using neuropsychological testsand 64 channel EEG recordings, in order to studycortical activity involved in perception and imagery evaluating event-related potentials(N170, P200, N250). The subject is in the normal range of the neuropsychological tests performed, except for specific imagery tests. The EEG results show that when he evokes the same mental image, he starts the evoking process from left temporal instead of frontal areas, he does not activate occipital visual nor left anterior parietal areas.

Keywords: Aphantasia; EEG; ERP; mental imagery; visual imagery.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Electroencephalography
  • Humans
  • Imagery, Psychotherapy / methods
  • Imagination* / physiology
  • Male
  • Parietal Lobe
  • Visual Perception* / physiology