Many people don’t see mental images. The reason offers clues to consciousness

Scientists studying aphantasia—a condition affecting 4% of people who cannot form mental images despite normal vision—are discovering that their brains still create visual representations in the cortex, but these remain unconscious and inaccessible to awareness. Brain imaging reveals reduced connectivity between visual processing areas and frontal regions in people with aphantasia, suggesting consciousness requires proper communication between brain networks to experience mental imagery.