About this Research Topic
Mental imagery is often described as “visualizing,” “seeing in the mind's eye,” or “hearing in the head,” “imagining the feel of” and refers to a conscious experience, resembling sensory experience occurring in the absence of perceptual input. While imagery has been the subject of intense study for over 100 years, it has recently, once again, caught the public imagination through the phenomenon of aphantasia, the inability to experience mental images. Furthermore, while much of the early work in the field has involved the visual domain, the study of auditory imagery is receiving increasing interest.
This Research Topic aims to address key questions in the field, including the following:
1) What is the role of imagery in cognitive functions, such as working memory?
2) What is its neural basis - which brain areas are critical for creating mental images?
3) What is the nature of imagery in individuals with sensory deficits and brain lesions?
4) Does the inability to engage in visual imagery impair other cognitive processes?
Submissions from all subdomains on imagery, including visual, auditory, and motor domains are welcome.
We encourage researchers to submit new empirical works, as well as theoretical papers and commentaries. We welcome research based on behavioral studies as well as neuroimaging and neurostimulation.
Keywords: Motor imagery, Auditory, Visual, Working Memory, Imagery Debate
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
