Neural correlates of visual imagination

The rationale of the present study was to investigate more closely the neural correlates on which the visual imagery relies on. Recent fMRI and neuropsychological studies have showed a crucial involvement of the visual areas in the generation of visual mental images. Nevertheless, the neural bases of the visual imagery still controversial and little is known about the cognitive operations that can be carried on the generated mental images. To cast light on this problem, we have studied possible behavioural effects that visual perception and imagery have in common, based either on simple neural physiological features proper of the perceptual system or on complex cognitive operations. In order to do this, we have tested by means of a series of experiments, whether visual effect on reaction time, based on a morpho-functional caratheristic of the visual system, might be replicated also within the visual imagery. A well known effect obtained with visual stimuli concern the increase of the RT with peripheral in contrast of the central stimuli (eccentricity effect)...