the previously mentioned and numerous related studies have led to a relative consensus within cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy on the neural status of mental images. in general, researchers agree that, while there is no homunculus inside the head viewing these mental images, our brains do form and maintain mental images as image-like wholes. the problem of exactly how these images are stored and manipulated within the human brain, in particular within language and communication, remains a fertile area of study.