What does it really mean to see with the mind’s eye?
In this conversation, neurologist and consciousness researcher Professor Adam Zeman (Cognitive & Behavioural Neurologist, University of Exeter) joins Dr Tevin Naidu on Mind-Body Solution to explore the mysterious link between imagination, memory, and perception - and what happens when the mind’s eye goes dark.
Zeman coined the term aphantasia, the inability to form mental images, and has spent decades studying how imagination shapes our sense of self and consciousness. Together, we discuss:
- The neuroscience of mental imagery and its vividness
- What aphantasia and hyperphantasia reveal about the brain-mind interface
- Imagination’s evolutionary and social roles
- How disorders of imagery illuminate the nature of consciousness
- Why defining "inner experience" remains one of science's deepest puzzles
This episode is both scientific and philosophical: an inquiry into what it means to imagine, remember, and experience the unseen.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction: Why imagination matters and the four big ideas
02:14 - What do we mean by “imagination”? Everyday vs scientific senses
05:46 - How imagination is implemented in the brain: top-down vs bottom-up processes
09:08 - The phenomenology of imagery: vividness, aphantasia, hyperphantasia
12:58 - Aphantasia explained: discovery, definition, and how common it is
16:50 - Measuring imagery: questionnaires, behavioral tasks, and limitations
20:30 - Dreams vs wakeful imagery: why people without imagery often still dream
24:12 - Aphantasia and memory: effects on autobiographical recall and learning
27:54 - Hyperphantasia and creativity: strengths, tradeoffs, and examples
31:28 - Clinical cases & the TIME project: epilepsy, transient amnesia, and memory links
34:50 - Accelerated long-term forgetting: what it reveals about memory consolidation
38:12 - Disorders of visual imagery: aphantasia, prosopagnosia, and related syndromes
41:55 - Therapeutic and performance uses of imagery: sports, music, psychotherapy
45:20 - Objective neural markers: fMRI, activation of visual cortices and network differences
48:56 - Assessing imagery in the clinic: best practices and pitfalls
52:30 - Imagination and consciousness: philosophical implications for “life in the mind”
55:50 - Language, sharing imagination, and why we evolved communicative imagination
59:38 - Dementia, PRESIDE and clinical relevance: early markers and research directions
01:03:50 - Future directions: AI, computational models, and bridging phenomenology + neuroscience
01:07:30 - Closing reflections: practical takeaways for researchers, clinicians, and curious minds
EPISODE LINKS:
- Adam's Website:
- Adam's X: https://twitter.com/zemanlab
- Adam's Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7BSh2mQAAAAJ&hl=en
- Adam's Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Adam-Zeman/author/B001H6UT84?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1760539071&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
- Science of Imagination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkYwKjkCJgE
CONNECT:
- Website: https://mindbodysolution.org
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@MindBodySolution
- Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/mindbodysolution
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu
- Website: https://tevinnaidu.com
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#AdamZeman #Imagination #Aphantasia #Consciousness
