Intermodal sensory image generation: An fMRI analysis

Although both imagery and perception may be related to more than one sensory input, and often information coming from different sensory channels is integrated in a unique mental representation, most recent neuroimaging literature has focused on visual imaging. Contrasting results have been obtained concerning the sharing of the same mechanisms by visual perception and visual imagery, in part due to the assessment techniques and to inter-individual variability in brain activation. In recent years, an increasing number of researchers have adopted novel neuroimaging techniques in order to investigate intermodal connections in mental imagery and have reported a high degree of interaction between mental imagery and other cognitive functions. In the present study the specific nature of mental imagery was investigated by means of fMRI on a more extensive set of perceptual experiences (shapes, sounds, touches, odors, flavors, self-perceived movements, and internal sensations). Results show that the left middle-inferior temporal area is recruited by mental imagery for all modalities investigated and not only for the visual one, while parietal and prefrontal areas exhibit a more heterogeneous pattern of activation across modalities. The prominent left lateralization observed for almost all the conditions suggests that verbal cues affect the processes underlying the generation of images.