Differences in brain activity patterns during creative idea generation between eminent and non-eminent thinkers

Authors

Evangelia G Chrysikou, Drexel University
Constanza Jacial, Drexel University
David B Yaden, University of Pennsylvania
Wessel van Dam, Drexel University
Scott Barry Kaufman, Columbia University
Chris Conklin, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Nancy Wintering, Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of AmericaFollow
Rebecca E Abraham, Drexel University
Rex E Jung, University of New Mexico
Andrew B. Newberg, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-3-2020

Comments

This article is the author’s final published version in NeuroImage, Volume 220, June 2020, Article number 117011.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117011. Copyright © Chrysikou et al.

Abstract

An influential model of the neural mechanisms of creative thought suggests that creativity is manifested in the joint contributions of the Default Mode Network (DMN; a set of regions in the medial PFC, lateral and medial parietal cortex, and the medial temporal lobes) and the executive networks within the dorsolateral PFC. Several empirical reports have offered support for this model by showing that complex interactions between these brain systems account for individual differences in creative performance. The present study examined whether the engagement of these regions in idea generation is modulated by one's eminence in a creativity-related field. Twenty (n = 20) healthy eminent creators from diverse fields of expertise and a 'smart' comparison group of sixteen (n = 16) age- and education-matched non-eminent thinkers were administered a creative generation task (an adaptation of the Alternative Uses Task) and a control perceptual task, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The participants' verbal responses were recorded through a noise-canceling microphone and were later coded for fluency and accuracy. Behavioral and fMRI analyses revealed commonalities between groups, but also distinct patterns of activation in default mode and executive brain regions between the eminent and the non-eminent participants during creative thinking. We interpret these findings in the context of the well-documented contributions of these regions in the generation of creative ideas as modulated, in this study, by participants' creative eminence.

Recommended Citation

Chrysikou, Evangelia G; Jacial, Constanza; Yaden, David B; van Dam, Wessel; Kaufman, Scott Barry; Conklin, Chris; Wintering, Nancy; Abraham, Rebecca E; Jung, Rex E; and Newberg, Andrew B., "Differences in brain activity patterns during creative idea generation between eminent and non-eminent thinkers" (2020). Marcus Institute of Integrative Health Faculty Papers. Paper 20.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/jmbcimfp/20

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

PubMed ID

32504814

Language

English