Seeing and imagining activate some of the same brain cells

Scientists discovered that imagining objects reactivates about 40 percent of the same brain neurons used when actually seeing those objects. Researchers studied 16 epilepsy patients with brain electrodes, recording over 700 neurons while participants viewed images and later imagined them. This breakthrough confirms that mental imagery works through a "generative model" where the brain reuses visual perception pathways, potentially leading to new treatments for psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia and PTSD.