Aphantasia, when a person is unable to imagine

Have you ever had something in your mind, such as taking a walk in a flower field while enjoying a cool breeze or winning a lottery worth tens of millions? Imagine imagining the happy things that become your dreams that have not been achieved may be one of your favorite activities. However, did you know that not everyone is given this ability? Yes, this condition is called aphantasia.

What is aphantasia?

Aphantasia is a condition in which a person is unable to create images or images visually in his mind. People with aphantasia are often termed people who do not have the "mind's eye". The mind's eye in the brain is like a screen showing a series of activities that we imagine and are full of color.

People with aphantasia are unable to project the image on the screen. This condition is not a physical disability or a sign of a particular disease, but rather a neurological (neurological) disorder that affects the brain without serious health risks.

Aphantasia was first discovered by Sir Francis Galton, a world explorer and anthropologist. Galton had always been fascinated by human intelligence and had an interest in conducting innovative experiments by analyzing the complexity of the brain system when someone imagines or imagines something in their mind.

Galton then conducted a survey to find out how many people have the ability to imagine visually. Surprisingly, the results showed that 2.5 percent of the UK population had a condition that has come to be called aphantasia. In other words, 1 in 40 people cannot imagine fictional situations or things in their mind.

Subsequent more focused research was undertaken in 2005 by cognitive neurologist Adam Zeman at the University of Exeter. Zeman conducted a study based on a patient's report who stated that he lost the ability to describe something or imagine in his mind.

The patient, with the initials MX, lost his imagination after heart surgery. After the researchers published the results of the study on MX in the journal Neuropsychologia, 21 people contacted the research team and claimed to have the same condition as MX.

These people participated in an experiment, complete with a control group. This experiment was conducted by looking at their brain activity using an fMRI machine to determine which part of the brain is responsible for imagining a particular scenario complete with an X-ray given a colorful visual image of their brain.

What causes a person to experience aphantasia?

Based on the results of the examination, MX, along with other patients, showed decreased activity in the parietal and frontal lobes of the brain, which are associated with human abstract thinking. This part is very important in daydreaming or imagining activities. The main part of the lobe is responsible for storing memories and integrating the main visual and olfactory senses.

It is in the parts of the brain that a person's visual processes occur. So that people can imagine the shape, taste, appearance, smell, as part of the visualization effect. Furthermore, the occipital and temporal lobes process this information and visually project it on the screen of the human mind.

People with aphantasia are thought to have problems in certain parts of the brain so that they are not able to imagine and imagine things visually.

People with aphantasia can still dream

However, research has shown that people with aphantasia can still dream with very clear visualization. Zeman said this may occur because the part of the brain that is experiencing this disorder has the ability to display a series of visual activities only when a person loses consciousness, namely when sleeping. Conversely, when conscious, the brain that plays a role in this activity is unable to realize this visualization.

Mostly, people who experience this condition are very young, even for some people they have this disorder since birth or what is known as congenital aphantasia. Fortunately, this disability did not become a significant obstacle to their survival. Although over time, some people feel depressed when they are unable to remember and describe the faces of their loved ones, especially after that person has passed away.

Research on aphantasia is still relatively rare, so a cure has not been found. Researchers are still looking into the underlying causes of this condition, whether genetic or psychological.