"Say 'Apple' to Me and It Stays Black": Katrien Cannot Conjure up Mental Images Due to Aphantasia

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Katrien has aphantasia: the inability to voluntarily conjure up mental images. "If you ask people to imagine an apple, an image spontaneously appears for many; for me, it remains black." According to Professor of Neuropsychology Ineke van der Ham (Leiden University), Katrien belongs to a very small group. "It is a little-known phenomenon that is estimated to occur in 1 to 3 percent of people."