Mental Imagery: Towards the causal study of consciousness

• TBA - Somewhere in the mediterranean

• TBA - End of Spring 2026

• TBA

• 20 participants

Understanding consciousness remains one of neuroscience’s most compelling challenges. While research has traditionally focused on identifying the neural correlates of consciousness, advancing toward causal explanations requires innovative approaches. Mental imagery—ranging from enriched experiences like synaesthesia to diminished ones such as aphantasia—offers a unique lens through which to explore the mechanisms of conscious experience. By examining how internally generated percepts contribute to consciousness, we can circumvent some of the confounds present in disorders of consciousness and instead investigate subjective experience in relatively intact systems. From psychedelic-induced imagery to electrical brain stimulation, studying mental imagery opens promising avenues for early-career researchers interested in the causal underpinnings of consciousness.

Format

This workshop adopts an interactive “debate hackathon” format inspired by Mediterranean traditions of oral dialogue. Throughout the week, participants will form interdisciplinary teams to design innovative experimental paradigms that integrate mental imagery into consciousness research. Each team will present and defend their ideas in structured debates, with opposing teams critiquing their protocols, culminating in a final moderated showdown judged by peer participants. Alongside daily collaborative work, informal evening debates and improv-style exercises will foster quick thinking, rhetorical skill, and inclusion—ensuring all participants, regardless of experience or confidence level, are empowered to contribute.