How the Brain Distinguishes Imagination from Reality

Rapid Summary:

• Researchers at University College London, led by Nadine Dijkstra, studied how the brain differentiates between reality and creativity.
• using MRI scans,they observed brain activity in 26 participants performing a visual task involving static grey blocks with or without imagined diagonal lines.
• The fusiform gyrus showed heightened activity when participants perceived vivid imagery regardless of whether it was real or imaginary.
• Increased activity in the fusiform gyrus triggered the anterior insula to make binary determinations of “real or not real.”
• This finding may aid treatments for visual hallucinations linked to conditions like Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia.

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