medigraphic.com
SPANISH

Neurología, Neurocirugía y Psiquiatría

ISSN 0028-3851 (Print)
  • Contents
  • View Archive
  • Information
    • General Information        
    • Directory
  • Publish
    • Instructions for authors        
  • medigraphic.com
    • Home
    • Journals index            
    • Register / Login
  • Mi perfil

2022, Number 3

<< Back Next >>

Rev Neurol Neurocir Psiquiat 2022; 50 (3)

Aphantasia: case report

Montaner-Casino X
Full text How to cite this article 10.35366/108766

DOI

DOI: 10.35366/108766
URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.35366/108766

Language: Spanish
References: 7
Page: 106-108
PDF size: 112.29 Kb.


Key words:

aphantasia, memory, attention, neuropsychology, cognition.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: aphantasia is the inability to imagine visually. It is an underdiagnosed clinical condition that could lead to difficulties in work or academic activity. Clinical case: a 24-year-old university student with aphantasia who experiences difficulties in memorizing complex schemes. Neurological examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were normal. Neuropsychological examination revealed a total inability to imagine visually. On the other hand, the subject showed levels of verbal and visual intelligence within normal limits and only difficulties were observed in visual attention (assessed with the WMS-III). No significant differences were found in verbal and visual memory assessed with the Rey Auditory verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and the Rey Visual Design Learning Test (RVDLT). In the qualitative examination, the subject reported using verbal strategies to complement the visual memory tasks. Discussion: aphantasia is a clinical condition that can lead to significant difficulties in the academic or professional development of the people who suffer from it. Identifying this condition and facilitating neurorehabilitation plans with compensatory verbal strategies could help improve the quality of life of people with aphantasia.


REFERENCES

  1. Zeman A, Dewar M, Della Sala S. Lives without imagery - Congenital aphantasia. Cortex. 2015; 73: 378-380. doi: 10.1016/J.CORTEX.2015.05.019.

  2. Milton F, Fulford J, Dance C, Gaddum J, Heuerman-Williamson B, Jones K et al. Behavioral and neural signatures of visual imagery vividness extremes: aphantasia versus hyperphantasia. Cerebral Cortex Communications. 2021; 2: 1-15. doi: 10.1093/texcom/tgab035.

  3. Marks DF. Visual imagery differences in the recall of pictures. British Journal of Psychology. 1973; 64(1): 17-24. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1973.tb01322.x.

  4. Weschler D. WAIS III: Administration and scoring manual: weschler adult intelligence scale III". San Antonio, Tex: Psychological Corporation; 1997.

  5. Weschler D. Wechsler, David. WMS-III Escala de Memoria de Wechsler-III. Madrid. TEA Ediciones; 2004.

  6. Martorana A, Cavaco S, Alviarez-Schulze V, Cattaneo G, Pachón-García C, Solana-Sánchez J et al. Validation and normative data of the spanish version of the rey auditory verbal learning test and associated long-term forgetting measures in middle-aged adults. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022; 14: 809019. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.809019.

  7. Wilhelm P. Reliability and validity of the rey visual design learning test in primary school children. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2004; 26 (7): 981-994. doi: 10.1080/13803390490511076.




Figure 1

2020     |     www.medigraphic.com

Mi perfil

C?MO CITAR (Vancouver)

Rev Neurol Neurocir Psiquiat. 2022;50