Mental Imagery: Functional Mechanisms and Clinical Applications

Mental imagery research has weathered both disbelief of the phenomenon and inherent methodological limitations. Here we review recent behavioral, brain imaging, and clinical research that has reshaped our understanding of mental imagery. Research supports the claim that visual mental imagery is a depictive internal representation that functions like a weak form of perception. Brain imaging work has demonstrated that neural representations of mental and perceptual images resemble one another as early as the primary visual cortex (V1). Activity patterns in V1 encode mental images and perceptual images via a common set of low-level depictive visual features. Recent translational and clinical research reveals the pivotal role that imagery plays in many mental disorders and suggests how clinicians can utilize imagery in treatment. Recent research suggests that visual mental imagery functions as if it were a weak form of perception.Evidence suggests overlap between visual imagery and visual working memory - those with strong imagery tend to utilize it for mnemonic performance.Brain imaging work suggests that representations of perceived stimuli and mental images resemble one another as early as V1.Imagery plays a pivotal role in many mental disorders and clinicians can utilize imagery to treat such disorders.