Mind's eye
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{{Otheruses1|visual perception}}
The phrase "'''mind's eye'''" refers to the human ability for visual [[perception]], [[imagination]], [[visualization]], and [[memory]], or, in other words, one's ability to "[[sight|see]]" things with the [[mind]].
== Physical basis ==
The biological foundation of the mind's eye is not fully understood. [[fMRI]] studies have shown that the [[lateral geniculate nucleus]] and the V1 area of the [[visual cortex]] are activated during mental imagery tasks.<ref>[http://www.ini.unizh.ch/~alumit/ishai_neuroimage2002.pdf Imagery of famous faces: effects of memory and attention revealed by fMRI], A. Ishai, J. V. Haxby and L. G. Ungerleider, ''NeuroImage'' '''17''' (2002), pp. 1729-1741.</ref> Ratey writes:
<blockquote>The [[visual pathway]] is not a one-way street. Higher areas of the [[human brain|brain]] can also send visual input back to [[neuron]]s in lower areas of the [[visual cortex]]... As humans, we have the ability to see with the mind's eye -to have a perceptual experience in the absence of visual input. For example, [[PET scan]]s have shown that when subjects, seated in a room, imagine they are at their front door starting to walk either to the left or right, activation begins in the [[visual association cortex]], the [[parietal cortex]], and the [[prefrontal cortex]] - all higher [[cognitive processing center]]s of the brain.<ref>''A User's Guide to the Brain'', John J. Ratey, ISBN 0-375-70107-9, at p. 107.</ref></blockquote>
Not all humans have this ability. With eyes closed, some humans report that they can visualize, or imagine, detailed scenery that is not just a memory. Others however, cannot. These humans report that while details of visual memories can be recalled (with eyes open), the images themselves cannot be brought up, even with eyes closed{{Fact|date=May 2008}}.
Users of [[hallucinogenic]] drugs report seeing images with eyes closed, however the images are random and hard to control, and may interfere with normal consciousness.
== Philosophy ==
The use of the phrase ''mind's eye'' does not imply that there is a single or unitary place in the mind or brain where visual consciousness occurs. Various philosophers have criticized this view, [[Daniel Dennett]] being one of the best-known.<ref>''Consciousness Explained'', Daniel C. Dennett, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1991. ISBN 0-316-18065-3.</ref> However, others, such as [[Johnjoe McFadden]] of the [[University of Surrey]] in the UK and the New Zealand-based neurobiologist [[Susan Pockett]], have proposed that the brain's [[electromagnetic field]] is consciousness itself, thus causing the perception of a unitary location.<ref>[http://unisci.com/stories/20022/0516026.htm Our Conscious Mind Could Be An Electromagnetic Field], UniSci.</ref><ref>[http://ebola.itfais.com/cvm/archives/cemi_theory_paper.pdf Synchronous Firing and Its Influence on the Brain's Electromagnetic Field: Evidence for an Electromagnetic Field Theory of Consciousness], J. McFadden, ''Journal of Consciousness Studies'' '''9''' (2002), part 4, pp. 23–50.</ref>
==References==
<references />
==See also==
* [[Philosophy of perception]]
* [[Subjective character of experience]]
* [[Third eye]]
* [[Binding problem]]
* [[Visual perception]]
[[Category:Perception]]