17 maintained the ability to dream visually.10 reported involuntary flashes of images.12 had a complete inability to voluntarily create a visual image. nine had a substantial lack of ability to voluntarily create a visual image.Zeman first coined the term aphantasia, he examined some of the features of the condition by surveying 21 people who experienced it since birth: If you can’t create a picture in your head, or if it’s very difficult for you, you may have aphantasia. To determine if you aphantasia, try picturing a familiar object or the face of somebody you know well. People with aphantasia experience either an inability or severely limited ability to create a mental image. computer activities requiring picture recognition.activities requiring the description of objects and outdoor scenes.Some of the techniques used in his treatment included: He was, however, to visibly dream at night.Īfter 18 weekly 1-hour vision therapy sessions, he self-reported being able to visualize more right before he fell asleep but not during his day-to-day life. The person was unable to voluntarily recall images including the faces of his wife or child. In a 2017 case study, researchers examined a 31-year-old who had aphantasia since birth. The best treatment options have also not been established yet. It’s still not clear if people with aphantasia can improve their ability to make voluntary mental pictures. Many people with aphantasia may not know that they experience the world differently than other people and go on to live normal lives. In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Professor Adam Zeman called it a “fascinating variation in human experience.” Studies have estimated that 2.1 to 2.7 percent of the population may have aphantasia, but there still haven’t been any large-scale studies.Įven though there’s no known cure for aphantasia, it’s not necessarily a condition that needs to be cured. However, there have been more studies published over the last decade, so researchers may know more in the near future. What is known comes from a handful of studies and anecdotal reports. Very little is known about aphantasia, and to date, no cure has been discovered. Let’s look at whether aphantasia has a cure, and break down the latest scientific findings. However, some research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has found that people with aphantasia exhibit different brain patterns than people without aphantasia when trying to form mental images. Scientists have yet to discover the cause of aphantasia. The name comes from the ancient Greek words “a” meaning “without” and “phantasia” meaning “imagination.” The phenomenon didn’t receive a name until cognitive neurologist Adam Zeman coined the term aphantasia in 2015. The first modern account of the phenomenon dates back to an 1880 study, when Sir Francis Galton reported that some men in a group of 100 were unable to create a mental image of their breakfast table. People with aphantasia are unable to picture a scene, person, or object, even if it’s very familiar.Įd Catmull, the co-founder of Pixar, and Blake Ross, the co-creator of internet browser Firefox, are two notable people who reportedly have aphantasia.Īphantasia is still poorly understood. Can you picture it? If not, you may have aphantasia.Īphantasia is the inability to voluntarily create a mental picture in your head.
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