Abstract :
[en] Introduction: Aphantasia, the absence or marked reduction of mental imagery (Zeman et al., 2024),
provides an opportunity to investigate how mental imagery contributes to bodily self-representation and
interoception, defined as the perception and regulation of internal bodily signals (Garfinkel et al., 2015).
Preliminary findings indicate reduced physiological reactivity, reduced emotional response and reduced
attention to bodily cues in aphantasia (Wicken et al., 2021; Monzel et al., 2024). However, empirical
investigations are limited. This study aimed to investigate whether aphantasia is associated with specific
characteristics in three dimensions of interoception (accuracy, sensibility, awareness; according to the
tridimensional interoceptive model of Garfinkel et al., 2015). Methods: Thirty-three healthy adults were
divided into two groups: 9 aphantasic participants (4 women; Mage=34.22, MVVIQ=32) and 24 controls (20
women; Mage=35.00, MVVIQ=127.71). Group classification was based on the Vividness of Visual Imagery
Questionnaire (VVIQ; Marks, 1973), which assesses the clarity, detail, and lifelike quality of mental
images. All participants completed the Body Perception Questionnaire (BPQ; Porges, 1993) and the
Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA; Mehling et al., 2012) to evaluate
interoceptive sensibility, the Heartbeat Counting Task (HBC) to measure interoceptive accuracy, and
confidence ratings to assess interoceptive awareness. Results: Compared to controls, the aphantasic group
exhibited significantly lower interoceptive accuracy (W=35, p=.003, rrb= -.676), reduced sensibility in
BPQ (W=9.0, p <.001, rrb= -.917), and diminished scores on five of eight MAIA subscales (all p <.01).
Regarding interoceptive awareness, a significant correlation was observed between interoceptive accuracy
and confidence levels in the control group (r=.643; p < .001) but not in the aphantasic group (r= -.183;
p=.638). VVIQ scores correlated positively with sensibility in BPQ (r=.791, p < .001) and in five MAIA
dimensions (r=.502–.689, p <.01) and with interoceptive accuracy (r=.595, p < .001). Conclusion: These
findings indicate that reduced visual imagery vividness in aphantasia is associated with lower interoceptive
accuracy and sensibility, suggesting a link between imagery vividness and multiple interoceptive
dimensions. Moreover, interoceptive awareness (i.e., reflecting the congruence between confidence and
performance) appears also affected by imagery deficits, suggesting an underestimation of accuracy skills
by aphantasics.
