Revisiting the Mental Imagery Debate: New Evidence from Aphantasia and Neuroimaging

In this opinion letter, I critically examine the longstanding debate regarding the nature of mental imagery—specifically the tension between depictive (Kosslyn, 1980) and propositional (Pylyshyn, 1973) theories. Based on recent neuroimaging studies in individuals with aphantasia (alteration of mental imagery), I propose to reopen the imagery debate. I also suggest alternatives that support for a single- or a dual-process account of mental representation in the human brain.