Adam Zeman
Research
Definition
Adam Zeman is a British neurologist and professor at the University of Exeter who coined the term "aphantasia" in 2015 and significantly advances scientific research on this phenomenon.
Detailed Explanation
Professor Adam Zeman is the leading researcher in the field of aphantasia and has shaped the field through his work at the University of Exeter. In 2010, he published a case report of a patient who lost his visualization ability after a cardiac catheter procedure (coronary angioplasty). When many people with similar experiences came forward, he coined the term 'aphantasia' in 2015. Zeman led the research project The Eye's Mind, which researches the prevalence, effects, and neurological foundations of aphantasia and hyperphantasia. Subsequent prevalence studies (Wright et al. 2024; Dance et al. 2022) found that aphantasia occurs in about 1% of the population under a strict definition, and in around 4% including adjacent hypophantasia. Zeman emphasizes that aphantasia is a variation, not a disorder, and has helped destigmatize the phenomenon.
Keywords
- Adam Zeman
- Exeter
- neurologist
- researcher
- Eye's Mind
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Related Terms
- AphantasiaAphantasia is the inability to voluntarily create mental images. People with aphantasia cannot visualize faces, places, or objects in their mind's eye, although they can recognize and describe them. The term was coined by neurologist Adam Zeman in 2015.
- HyperphantasiaHyperphantasia refers to the ability to form extremely vivid, photorealistic mental images. People with hyperphantasia can imagine scenes so detailed that their inner images can almost be confused with real perception.
- VVIQ (Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire)The VVIQ is a standardized questionnaire for measuring the vividness of visual imagery. It consists of 16 items where participants rate their ability to visualize on a 5-point scale.
External Resources
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