In other experiments, we directly compared the areas of the brain activated during perception and imagery. In the perceptual experiment, subjects decided whether names were appropriate for objects that were seen from normal or atypical points of view. We predicted that subjects would have to search for additional properties when the view was atypical, and that this search process would be very similar to the process used to form images. As evident in the illustration below, similar brain areas are in fact recruited during the two activities. Such findings explain why subjects can confuse having visualized an object with actually having seen it, which is of interest to those who study the reliability of eyewitness testimony.
Mental imagery is a bridge from perception to the mind.
Given its long history, it seems fitting that the study of imagery is one of the topics to produce insights into how the brain gives rise to the mind. Solid symbols indicate activation in the same area during imagery and perception.