Zeman / Exeter research
How users in r/Aphantasia point to Adam Zeman and the University of Exeter as the origin and ongoing centre of academic work on aphantasia.
What people actually say
Exeter as the named centre of research
Users repeatedly direct newcomers and curious posters to Exeter, often with concrete contact details and a tone of relief that any formal study exists at all.
"Yes! Also there is a research group for Aphantasia based in Exeter, England that might be useful to look up!" 2020 · t1_g5m6gyl ↗
"Dr. Adam Zeman at Exeter University in Exeter, Devon, UK, has been researching the topic for some time. They probably won’t talk to you, but will send you a link to a survey, which may open your eyes about your own status. Email Zoe Foster : zf226@exeter.ac.uk to get started." 2020 · t3_g5dpmr ↗
"University of Exeter started a research program. I'm not aware of any others." 2020 · t3_kda9aq ↗
Zeman as the person who named the condition
Many comments treat Zeman's 2015 paper as the founding moment of the term itself, and trace the lineage back to patient MX in 2003.
"It's called \"Acquired Aphantasia.\" In 2003 patient MX had heart surgery and suddenly lost the ability to visualize. He was referred to Dr. Adam Zeman who did some tests and published a paper imageless imagination. This paper lead to people coming to Dr. Zeman saying they were like MX but have been that way all their lives. That lead to Dr. Zeman naming aphantasia in a paper published in 2015." 2023 · t1_jawbhwu ↗
"Dr. Adam Zeman seems to be the main contact since his paper naming aphantasia and he has mined his contacts for research ideas." 2024 · t1_kz6u4s5 ↗
"Thanks to Professor Adam Zeman of the University of Exeter for his research in this area. I think the concept of aphantasia has only emerged in the last decade or so." 2026 · t1_o3hcfq2 ↗
Zeman alongside Pearson, and frustration about US absence
When users map the field, they pair Zeman with Joel Pearson at UNSW and frequently lament how few other researchers are involved — particularly in the US.
"In addition to Adam Zeman at University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK (The Eye's Mind study), Joel Pearson at University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia, studies aphantasia. It seems these two researchers are the only ones giving serious academic consideration to the subject. I spent a great deal of time reviewing the literature and have found no academic researchers in the US currently conducting significant inquiries--very disappointing." 2020 · t1_g5mou6a ↗
"Anything be Pearson or Zeman is worth your time, they are the two most involved researchers on aphantasia and are involved a lot of the research that's going on right now. Adam Zeman is the lead research on the original paper that defined aphantasia." 2022 · t1_i6u0806 ↗
Specific papers and numbers cited from Zeman's work
A smaller cluster of users cite specific Zeman findings — VVIQ cutoffs, prevalence of acquired aphantasia, fMRI evidence — when grounding their own arguments.
"Zeman et. al. 2020 defined aphantasia as 16/80 (extreme) vs 17-23/80 (moderate)" 2021 · t1_gjwo8mv ↗
"In a paper Dr. Zeman published in 2020 about 3% of the aphantasics acquired it, but that paper was not designed to get that number so while the scale may be correct, the actual number might not be." 2023 · t1_jawg7c4 ↗
"Some possible diagnostics for aphantasia are discussed here [link]. There's also fMRI evidence as discussed in the initial Zeman paper [link]." 2022 · t1_hznhat8 ↗
Across the years
The pattern is remarkably stable from 2019 through 2026. Early years (2019–2020, with 11 chunks combined) lean toward "where do I go to participate in research?" with Exeter as the answer. Mid-period chunks (2021–2023, 10 total) shift toward citing specific Zeman papers and pairing him with Pearson. The two 2026 chunks still credit Zeman as the originating figure, suggesting no real generational turnover in who the community treats as the authority.
Volume
| Year | Chunks tagged |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 | 2 |
Cross-references
- Related sub-theme:
themes/research_pearson.md(only if relevant) - Related sub-theme:
themes/acquired_aphantasia.md(only if relevant)