Aphantasia Test: How To Examine Aphantasia

Have you ever wondered how your mind captures the world? Well, there is no mind's eye that can help you see, it's just your mind that entirely relies on imagination and creativity. For some people, visualization is easy just by concentrating and gathering images with incredible details. However, for others, it can be a little challenging. Some can create only unclear or blurry images in their mind and others need much effort and time to visualize. If these are the problems, aphantasia can be a reason. This condition is marked by an inability to form visual images in mind. Unsure on which spectrum your imagination power falls. The Aphantasia test holds the answer! This helpful test reveals whether you may haveor not. Let's have a detailed discussion about the Aphantasia test in this article!

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What Does Aphantasia Mean?

What is aphantasia? Well, it is a phenomenon that refers to a person struggling with mental visual imagery. This means that they cannot form clear images of places, people, or objects in their minds and cannot even remember visual memories. People with thismight still have a rich world inside, which is not seen and cannot be explained clearly. They may have some ideas, thoughts, and emotions but need visual images. There are two forms of aphantasia: Congenital aphantasia, which develops since birth, and Acquired aphantasia occurs later in life. Now, you are likely wondering, How common is aphantasia? According to a study, it is estimated that between 2% and 4% of people have this condition.

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What Are The Signs Of Aphantasia

Textualizing memories instead of holding them as visual images is an unquestionable sign that indicates you have this condition. For instance, if you remember every detail regarding your first day at the office but cannot see or imagine it through your mind’s eye, you probably have aphantasia. The following are the primary symptoms:

• You find difficulty in visualizing the details of any scene.
• Understanding implicit visual cues like size, color, bold letters, or white space is challenging.
• Your memories are in words but not in graphical images.
• It’s difficult for you to manipulate imaginary pictures.
• You fail to remember visual descriptions of your memories.
• You communicate explicitly through facial expressions, vocal qualities, or body language.
• You fail to give normal emotional reactions to visual images or objects.
• A family history of Aphantasia.

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What Causes Aphantasia?

Still, the actual causeis unknown. However, the examination through neuroimaging has revealed that aphantasia is associated with lower connectivity between different areas of the brain which have a significant role in visual processing and imagination. Those brain regions are the default mode network that simplifies self-reflection and creativity and the visual cortex that processes adequate visual information. The reduced connectivity of the brain occurs due to the following reasons:

1. Lack of Synchronization

The lack of synchronization between the brain regions involved in processing visual information may hinder gathering mental pictures in your mind's eye. But if the brain waves are synchronized, they produce 'waves' developed due to the neuron clusters found in specific brain regions. This synchronization results in fast, efficient communication and visual information processing between distinct brain areas, reducing the chances of aphantasia in a person.

2. White Matter Deficits

The inability to visualize mental pictures or images might also be connected with aphantasia. This can lead to the decreased integrity of white matter fibers in your brain. Like brain waves, the central role of white matter fibers in the brain is to transfer visual information from one brain region to another. But if the transmission is disturbed, it can impact your ability to form mental images. This, as a result, can cause aphantasia.

These factors are still hypothetical and more studies are needed to clearly understand the neurological process of aphantasia. However, they provide helpful information on how the brain might affect the ability to see mental pictures.

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Do I Have Aphantasia?

How do I know if I have aphantasia? Wondering? Some simple self-tests can determine it. The Aphantasia apple test is one of the simple and quick examinations that help you find if you have. This test asks you to close your eyes and imagine a red apple. Try to visualize the apple's image shape, color, and texture in your mind's eye. Some people will see a clear visual image of an apple, while some may see blurry images. And few cannot see any of the Apple images. Whatever the case, judge the apple pictures' clarity based on a scale of 1-5. If you score your visualization ability 5, you can not see any image of a red apple and can only think about it. This indicates you might have aphantasia. To dig deeper into this, the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) is a highly recognized test that helps determine if you have aphantasia.

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Aphantasia Test Using VVIQ Quiz

The Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire(VVIQ) is a quiz that examines the clarity of your visual imagination and the natural ability of your mind's eye. It was created in 1973 by David Marks, a psychologist, and is confirmed as an accurate vividness test that can help you see pictures of people, places, and objects in your mind’s eye. This aphantasia test quiz encouraged a person to imagine various scenarios and then rate their capability to visualize the vivid imagery in their minds based on a scale that ranges from 1-5. The original VVIQ quiz involves 16 questions, which are divided into 4 different groups. Each question has a score which varies from 1 to 5. If you do not see a visual picture of any scenario, the rate of the vividness will be ‘1’, and if you see a perfect vivid image that looks as realistic as seeing it in reality, the rate of the vividness will be ‘5’. Following is the meaning of the rating scale:

• You do not see any image at all, but you know that you are thinking about the image you are supposed to visualize.
• You see the picture, but it is a vague or unclear image.
• You see a picture that is moderately clear and vivid.
• You see a realistic image that is very clear and vivid.
• You see a perfectly realistic image that is so clear and vivid, like you see it in real life.

Then, the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire(VVIQ) summarizes all the scores from each answer. The highest score on the aphantasia scale is 80, and the lowest is 16. According to the experts, a score of 32 or below indicates aphantasia. A score of 16 defines a total aphantasia.

Is Aphantasia Genetic?

It can be hereditary as well as developed after some years in life. Congenital aphantasia may be genetic. People with this type of aphantasia are born with this condition as they might likely have some family history of aphantasia. No evidence supports the actual genetic causes. It is known that a person with this condition may have a family member struggling with it; that's why it runs in a family. More research is required to prove the exact genetic causes related to aphantasia.

On the other hand, some people can develop acquired onelater in their life. Specific serious incidents or exposures can contribute to the limited visual processing in the brain. For instance, head injuries (like traumatic brain injury or concussion), stroke, neurosurgery, and neurological diseases(like multiple sclerosis, dementia, or epilepsy). With these risky factors, you can't visualize what you are supposed to see in your head.

Can Aphantasia Be Treated?

No, it can't be treated as there is no known cure or treatment. It is not a disease that causes damage to the life of a person and needs medical treatment. Instead, itis just a variation in human life. Some techniques that involve visualization exercises and meditation can improve the condition. Still, the ongoing research on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can provoke the visual cortex and enhance visualization abilities in people with aphantasia. A study shows that it may increase the risk of emotional disorders such as anxiety or depression. So, if you suspect you have and find it's affecting your mental health, consult the licensed healthcare providers near you.

Summing Up

It doesn't have a significant impact on the quality of life of people. But more evidence is needed to understand the reason behind it fully. Thankfully, several methods like the aphantasia apple test and Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire(VVIQ) quiz can work efficiently to check the inability to visualize the images. If the results of these tests show you might have aphantasia, seek professional help, as some aphantasia is associated with mental health issues like anxiety and depression. The healthcare providers will either give suggestions or help find the best specialists dealing with mental health conditions.