Large-scale brain network connectivity underlying creativity in resting-state and task fMRI: Cooperation between default network and frontal-parietal network

Effects of four-week intranasal oxytocin administration on large-scale brain networks in older adults

Oxytocin (OT) is a crucial modulator of social cognition and behavior. Previous work primarily examined effects of acute intranasal oxytocin administration (IN-OT) in younger males on isolated brain regions. Not well understood are (i) chronic IN-OT effects, (ii) in older adults, (iii) on large-scale brain networks, representative of OT's wider-ranging brain mechanisms. To address these research gaps, 60 generally healthy older adults (mean age = 70.12 years, range = 55-83) were randomly assigned to self-administer either IN-OT or placebo twice daily via nasal spray over four weeks. Chronic IN-OT reduced resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) of both the right insula and the left middle cingulate cortex with the salience network but enhanced rs-FC of the left medial prefrontal cortex with the default mode network as well as the left thalamus with the basal ganglia-thalamus network. No significant chronic IN-OT effects were observed for between-network rs-FC. However, chronic IN-OT increased selective rs-FC of the basal ganglia-thalamus network with the salience network and the default mode network, indicative of more specialized, efficient communication between these networks. Directly comparing chronic vs. acute IN-OT, reduced rs-FC of the right insula with the salience network and between the default mode network and the basal ganglia-thalamus network, and greater selective rs-FC of the salience network with the default mode network and the basal ganglia-thalamus network, were more pronounced after chronic than acute IN-OT. Our results delineate the modulatory role of IN-OT on large-scale brain networks among older adults.

Neural, genetic, and cognitive signatures of creativity

Creativity is typically operationalized as divergent thinking (DT) ability, a form of higher-order cognition which relies on memory, attention, and other component processes. Despite recent advances, creativity neuroscience lacks a unified framework to model its complexity across neural, genetic, and cognitive scales. Using task-based fMRI from two independent samples and MVPA, we identified a neural pattern that predicts DT, validated through cognitive decoding, genetic data, and large-scale resting-state fMRI. Our findings reveal that DT neural patterns span brain regions associated with diverse cognitive functions, with positive weights in the default mode and frontoparietal control networks and negative weights in the visual network. The high correlation with the primary gradient of functional connectivity suggests that DT involves extensive integration from concrete sensory information to abstract, higher-level cognition, distinguishing it from other advanced cognitive functions. Moreover, neurobiological analyses show that the DT pattern is positively correlated with dopamine-related neurotransmitters and genes influencing neurotransmitter release, advancing the neurobiological understanding of creativity.

Default mode network electrophysiological dynamics and causal role in creative thinking

The default mode network (DMN) is a widely distributed, intrinsic brain network thought to play a crucial role in internally directed cognition. The present study employs stereo-EEG in 13 human patients, obtaining high resolution neural recordings across multiple canonical DMN regions during two processes that have been associated with creative thinking: spontaneous and divergent thought. We probe these two DMN-associated higher cognitive functions through mind wandering and alternate uses tasks, respectively. Our results reveal DMN recruitment during both tasks, as well as a task-specific dissociation in spatiotemporal response dynamics. When compared to the fronto-parietal network, DMN activity was characterized by a stronger increase in gamma band power (30-70 Hz) coupled with lower theta band power (4-8 Hz). The difference in activity between the two networks was especially strong during the mind wandering task. Within the DMN, we found that the tasks showed different dynamics, with the alternate uses task engaging the DMN more during the initial stage of the task, and mind wandering in the later stage. Gamma power changes were mainly driven by lateral DMN sites, while theta power displayed task-specific effects. During alternate uses task, theta changes did not show spatial differences within the DMN, while mind wandering was associated to an early lateral and late dorsomedial DMN engagement. Furthermore, causal manipulations of DMN regions using direct cortical stimulation preferentially decreased the originality of responses in the alternative uses task, without affecting fluency or mind wandering. Our results suggest that DMN activity is flexibly modulated as a function of specific cognitive processes and supports its causal role in divergent thinking. These findings shed light on the neural constructs supporting different forms of cognition and provide causal evidence for the role of DMN in the generation of original connections among concepts.

Brain topology underlying executive functions across the lifespan: focus on the default mode network

Introduction

While traditional neuroimaging approaches to the study of executive functions (EFs) have typically employed task-evoked paradigms, resting state studies are gaining popularity as a tool for investigating inter-individual variability in the functional connectome and its relationship to cognitive performance outside of the scanner.

Method

Using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Human Connectome Project Lifespan database, the present study capitalized on graph theory to chart cross-sectional variations in the intrinsic functional organization of the frontoparietal (FPN) and the default mode (DMN) networks in 500 healthy individuals (from 10 to 100 years of age), to investigate the neural underpinnings of EFs across the lifespan.

Results

Topological properties of both the FPN and DMN were associated with EF performance but not with a control task of picture naming, providing specificity in support for a tight link between neuro-functional and cognitive-behavioral efficiency within the EF domain. The topological organization of the DMN, however, appeared more sensitive to age-related changes relative to that of the FPN.

Discussion

The DMN matures earlier in life than the FPN and it ıs more susceptible to neurodegenerative changes. Because its activity is stronger in conditions of resting state, the DMN might be easier to measure in noncompliant populations and in those at the extremes of the life-span curve, namely very young or elder participants. Here, we argue that the study of its functional architecture in relation to higher order cognition across the lifespan might, thus, be of greater interest compared with what has been traditionally thought.

Examining the relationship between functional connectivity and broader autistic traits in non-autistic children

In the current study, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine functional connectivity (FC) in relation to measures of cognitive flexibility and autistic features in non-autistic children. Previous research suggests that disruptions in FC between brain regions may underlie the cognitive and behavioral traits of autism. Moreover, research has identified a broader autistic phenotype (BAP), which refers to a set of behavioral traits that fall along a continuum of behaviors typical for autism but which do not cross a clinically relevant threshold. Thus, by examining FC in relation to the BAP in non-autistic children, we can better understand the spectrum of behaviors related to this condition and their neural basis. Results indicated age-related differences in performance across three measures of cognitive flexibility, as expected given the rapid development of this skill within this time period. Additionally, results showed that across the flexibility tasks, measures of autistic traits were associated with weaker FC along the executive control network, though task performance was not associated with FC. These results suggest that behavioral scores may be less sensitive than neural measures to autistic traits. Further, these results corroborate the use of broader autistic traits and the BAP to better understand disruptions to neural function associated with autism.

Periodontitis is associated with altered brain structure and function in normal cognition middle-aged and elderly individuals

BACKGROUND

Numerous studies have proposed that periodontitis is a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. However, the association between periodontitis and brain normal cognition in aged and elderly individuals (NCs) is unclear. Such a link could provide clues to Alzheimer's disease development and strategies for early prevention.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the associations between periodontal condition and metrics of both brain structure and function among NCs with the help of multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

METHODS

High-resolution T1-weighted structural data, resting-state functional-MRI data, and measures of periodontal condition were collected from 40 NCs. Cortical volume, thickness, and area as well as regional homogeneity were calculated with the aid of DPABISurf software. Correlation analyses were then conducted between each imaging metric and periodontal index.

RESULTS

Consistent negative correlations were observed between severity of periodontitis (mild, moderate, severe) and cortical volume, area, and thickness, not only in brain regions that took charge of primary function but also in brain regions associated with advanced cognition behavior. Among participants with mild attachment loss (AL) and a shallow periodontal pocket depth (PPD), periodontal index was positively correlated with most measures of brain structure and function, while among participants with severe AL and deep PPD, periodontal index was negatively correlated with measures of brain structure and function (all p < .005 for each hemisphere).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate that periodontitis is associated with widespread changes in brain structure and function among middle-aged and elderly adults without signs of cognitive decline, which might be a potential risk factor for brain damage.

Creative therapy in health and disease: Inner vision

Can we better understand the unique mechanisms of de novo abilities in light of our current knowledge of the psychological and neuroscientific literature on creativity? This review outlines the state-of-the-art in the neuroscience of creativity and points out crucial aspects that still demand further exploration, such as brain plasticity. The progressive development of current neuroscience research on creativity presents a multitude of prospects and potentials for furnishing efficacious therapy in the context of health and illness. Therefore, we discuss directions for future studies, identifying a focus on pinpointing the neglected beneficial practices for creative therapy. We emphasize the neglected neuroscience perspective of creativity on health and disease and how creative therapy could offer limitless possibilities to improve our well-being and give hope to patients with neurodegenerative diseases to compensate for their brain injuries and cognitive impairments by expressing their hidden creativity.

Creativity at rest: Exploring functional network connectivity of creative experts

The neuroscience of creativity seeks to disentangle the complex brain processes that underpin the generation of novel ideas. Neuroimaging studies of functional connectivity, particularly functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), have revealed individual differences in brain network organization associated with creative ability; however, much of the extant research is limited to laboratory-based divergent thinking measures. To overcome these limitations, we compare functional brain connectivity in a cohort of creative experts (n = 27) and controls (n = 26) and examine links with creative behavior. First, we replicate prior findings showing reduced connectivity in visual cortex related to higher creative performance. Second, we examine whether this result is driven by integrated or segregated connectivity. Third, we examine associations between functional connectivity and vivid distal simulation separately in creative experts and controls. In accordance with past work, our results show reduced connectivity to the primary visual cortex in creative experts at rest. Additionally, we observe a negative association between distal simulation vividness and connectivity to the lateral visual cortex in creative experts. Taken together, these results highlight connectivity profiles of highly creative people and suggest that creative thinking may be related to, though not fully redundant with, the ability to vividly imagine the future.

Clinical anatomy of the precuneus and pathogenesis of the schizophrenia

Recent evidence has shown that the precuneus plays a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The precuneus is a structure of the parietal lobe's medial and posterior cortex, representing a central hub involved in multimodal integration processes. Although neglected for several years, the precuneus is highly complex and crucial for multimodal integration. It has extensive connections with different cerebral areas and is an interface between external stimuli and internal representations. In human evolution, the precuneus has increased in size and complexity, allowing the development of higher cognitive functions, such as visual-spatial ability, mental imagery, episodic memory, and other tasks involved in emotional processing and mentalization. This paper reviews the functions of the precuneus and discusses them concerning the psychopathological aspects of schizophrenia. The different neuronal circuits, such as the default mode network (DMN), in which the precuneus is involved and its alterations in the structure (grey matter) and the disconnection of pathways (white matter) are described.

Frailty and functional brain connectivity (FBC) in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI): baseline results from the SYNERGIC Trial

Functional brain connectivity (FBC), or areas that are anatomically separate but temporally synchronized in their activation, represent a sensitive biomarker for monitoring dementia progression. It is unclear whether frailty is associated with FBC in those at higher risk of progression to dementia (e.g., mild cognitive impairment -MCI-) and if sex plays a role. We used baseline data from the SYNERGIC trial, including participants with MCI that received brain MRI. In this cross-sectional analyses (n = 100), we measured frailty using a deficit accumulation frailty index. Using the CONN toolbox, we assessed FBC of networks and regions of interest across the entire connectome. We used Pearson's correlation to investigate the relationship between FBC and frailty index in the full sample and by sex. We also divided the full sample and each sex into tertiles based upon their frailty index score and then assessed between-tertile differences in FBC. The full sample (cluster: size = 291 p-FDR < 0.05) and males (cluster: size = 993 and 451 p-FDR < 0.01) demonstrated that increasing (stronger) connectivity between the right hippocampus and clusters in the temporal gyrus was positively correlated with increasing (worse) frailty. Males also demonstrated between-tertile differences in right hippocampus connectivity to clusters in the lateral occipital cortex (cluster: size = 289 p-FDR < 0.05). Regardless of frailty status, females demonstrated stronger within-network connectivity of the Default-Mode (p = 0.024). Our results suggest that increasing (worse) frailty was associated with increasing (stronger) connectivity between regions not typically linked, which may reflect a compensation tactic by the plastic brain. Furthermore, the relationship between the two variables appears to differ by sex. Our results may help elucidate why specific individuals progress to a dementia syndrome. NCT02808676. https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02808676.

Reduced brain activity and functional connectivity during creative idea generation in individuals with smartphone addiction

Since the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, the frequency of smartphone use has surged, which has caused an increase in smartphone addiction among individuals. Smartphone addiction can impair various cognitive abilities. However, to date, the impact of smartphone addiction on creative cognition remains unclear. The current functional near-infrared spectroscopy study compared neural differences between smartphone addiction tendency (SAT) and healthy control (HC) individuals during creative idea generation. In particular, by manipulating a key component of creative cognition, that is, overcoming semantic constraints, we explored whether SAT individuals could overcome semantic constraints. Both the SAT and HC groups completed the alternate uses task (AUT) in semantic constraint and unconstraint conditions. The results indicated that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and temporal regions were less active during AUT in the SAT group than in the HC group. In the SAT group, the PFC was less active under constraint than unconstraint conditions. Moreover, both task-related and resting-state functional connectivity analyses indicated weaker coupling between the PFC and temporal regions in the SAT than in the HC group. Furthermore, the left dorsolateral PFC mediated the effect of smartphone addiction on creative performance. These findings provide unprecedented neuroimaging evidence on the negative impact of smartphone addiction on creative cognition.

Everyday Creativity is Associated with Increased Frontal Electroencephalography Alpha Activity During Creative Ideation

Everyday creativity is the basic ability of human survival and penetrates every aspect of life. Nevertheless, the neural mechanisms underlying everyday creativity was largely unexplored. In this study, seventy-five participants completed the creative behaviour inventory, a tool for assessing creative behaviour in daily life. The participants also completed the alternate uses task (AUT) during an electroencephalography (EEG) assessment to evaluate creative thinking. Alpha power was used to quantify neural oscillations during the creative process, while alpha coherence was used to quantify information communication between frontal regions and other sites during creative ideation. Moreover, these two task-related quantitative measures were combined to investigate the relationship between individual differences in everyday creativity and EEG alpha activity during creative idea generation. Compared with the reference period, increased alpha power was observed in the frontal cortex of the right hemisphere and increased functional coupling was observed between frontal and parietal/temporal regions during the activation period. Interestingly, individual differences in everyday creativity were associated with distinct patterns of EEG alpha activity. Specifically, individuals with higher everyday creativity had increased alpha power in the frontal cortex, and increased changes in coherence in frontal-temporal regions of the right hemisphere while performing the AUT. It might indicate that individuals with higher everyday creativity had an enhanced ability to focus on internal information processing and control bottom-up stimuli, as well as better selection of novel semantic information when performing creative ideation tasks.

The time course of creativity: multivariate classification of default and executive network contributions to creative cognition over time

Research indicates that creative cognition depends on both associative and controlled processes, corresponding to the brain's default mode network (DMN) and executive control network (ECN) networks. However, outstanding questions include how the DMN and ECN operate over time during creative task performance, and whether creative cognition involves distinct generative and evaluative stages. To address these questions, we used multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to assess how the DMN and ECN contribute to creative cognition over three successive time phases during the production of a single creative idea. Training classifiers to predict trial condition (creative vs non-creative), we used classification accuracy as a measure of the extent of creative activity in each brain network and time phase. Across both networks, classification accuracy was highest in early phases, decreased in mid phases, and increased again in later phases, following a U-shaped curve. Notably, classification accuracy was significantly greater in the ECN than the DMN during early phases, while differences between networks at later time phases were non-significant. We also computed correlations between classification accuracy and human-rated creative performance, to assess how relevant the creative activity in each network was to the creative quality of ideas. In line with expectations, classification accuracy in the DMN was most related to creative quality in early phases, decreasing in later phases, while classification accuracy in the ECN was least related to creative quality in early phases, increasing in later phases. Given the theorized roles of the DMN in generation and the ECN in evaluation, we interpret these results as tentative evidence for the existence of separate generative and evaluative stages in creative cognition that depend on distinct neural substrates.

The Mediating and Buffering Effect of Creativity on the Relationship Between Sense of Place and Academic Achievement in Geography

Purpose

This study explored the relationship between sense of place and academic achievement in geography and used a mediation model to verify the mediating role of creativity in this relationship.

Methods

A total of 1,037 upper secondary school students were surveyed using the Sense of Place Scale, the Innovative Behavior Scale, and their geography test scores. SPSS (version 26.0) was used for descriptive statistical analysis and correlation analysis. The PROCESS plug-in (version 4.0) was used to test the mediating effect of creativity.

Results

(1) The correlation analysis showed that sense of place has a positive effect on academic achievement in geography and is related to creativity. Moreover, creativity exerts a positive effect on academic achievement in geography (2). The results of mediation analysis indicated that creativity plays mediating and buffering roles in the relationship between sense of place and academic achievement in geography after controlling for gender and residential address. The direct and indirect effects accounted for 65.708 and 34.292% of the total effect, respectively.

Conclusions

The results indicated that sense of place affected not only academic achievement in geography directly but also creativity indirectly. This conclusion provides certain ideas for the development of geography curriculums. Since academic achievement in geography is related to both sense of place and creativity, it is necessary to pay more attention to integrating sense of place in geography education and to foster creativity in curriculum development and teaching of geography.

Altered Brain Connectivity Patterns of Individual Differences in Insightful Problem Solving

Insightful problem solving (IPS) attracts widespread attention in creative thinking domains. However, the neural underpinnings of individual differences in IPS are still unclear. The purpose of this research was to investigate inherent full-brain connectivity patterns at voxel-level in IPS. Sixty-two healthy participants were enrolled in the study. We used a voxelwise full-brain network measurement, degree centrality (DC), to depict the characteristics of cerebral network involved in individual differences in IPS. For each participant, we employed a chunk decomposition paradigm, using Mandarin characters as stimuli, to estimate the individual differences in IPS. Results showed that DC in the inferior frontal gyrus, and the middle frontal gyrus/precentral gyrus positively correlated with IPS, while the anterior cingulate cortex, and the brainstern/cerebellum/thalamus exhibited negative correlations with IPS. Using each cluster above as a seed, we performed seed-based functional connectivity analysis further. Results showed that IPS was mainly involved in the default mode network, containing the key regions of precuneus and medial prefrontal cortex. All in all, this research may shed new lights on understanding the neural underpinnings of individual differences in IPS.

Resting-state functional connectivity of social brain regions predicts motivated dishonesty

Motivated dishonesty is a typical social behavior varying from person to person. Resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) is capable of identifying unique patterns from functional connectivity (FC) between brain regions. Recent work has built a link between brain networks in resting state to dishonesty in Western participants. To determine and reproduce the relevant neural patterns and build an interpretable model to predict dishonesty, we analyzed two conceptually similar datasets containing rsfMRI data with different dishonesty tasks. Both tasks implemented the information-passing paradigm, in which monetary rewards were employed to induce dishonesty. We applied connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) to build a model among FC within and between four social brain networks (reward, self-referential, moral, and cognitive control). The CPM analysis indicated that FCs of social brain networks are predictive of dishonesty rate, especially FCs within reward network, and between self-referential and cognitive control networks. Our study offers an conceptual replication with integrated model to predict dishonesty with rsfMRI, and the results suggest that frequent motivated dishonest decisions may require the higher engagement of social brain regions.

Alpha Oscillations in Parietal and Parietooccipital Explaining How Boredom Matters Prospective Memory

Intelligent interaction alters previous human–machine task allocation patterns. Human workers will suffer from boredom and inattention, posing a significant challenge for the human–machine interaction loop. This study aims to investigate the relationship between boredom and prospective memory, which is a memory form including the detecting, identifying, and executing functions. Thus, the attention and memory mechanisms are critical to complete prospective memory tasks when bored. This study recruited twenty-eight participants and used electroencephalography to measure the alpha power in brain regions. The results indicated that parietal oscillations had a mediation effect on prospective memory, which could be associated with the frequent unstable attention. In addition, this study found that parietooccipital oscillations linked boredom and prospective memory, and the default mode network (DMN) and visual processing during boredom could better explain this finding. The findings of this study suggested that attention management and influences of processing visual information were starting points to cope with boredom because they could help prepare for prospective memory and make optimal decisions accordingly.

Intranasal Oxytocin Modulates the Salience Network in Aging

Growing evidence supports a role of the neuropeptide oxytocin in promoting social cognition and prosocial behavior, possibly via modulation of the salience of social information. The effect of intranasal oxytocin administration on the salience network, however, is not well understood, including in the aging brain. To address this research gap, 42 young (22.52 ± 3.02 years; 24 in the oxytocin group) and 43 older (71.12 ± 5.25 years; 21 in the oxytocin group) participants were randomized to either self-administer intranasal oxytocin or placebo prior to resting-state functional imaging. The salience network was identified using independent component analysis (ICA). Independent t-tests showed that individuals in the oxytocin compared to the placebo group had lower within-network resting-state functional connectivity, both for left amygdala (MNI coordinates: x = −18, y = 0, z = −15; corrected p < 0.05) within a more ventral salience network and for right insula (MNI coordinates: x = 39, y = 6, z = −6; corrected p < 0.05) within a more dorsal salience network. Age moderation analysis furthermore demonstrated that the oxytocin-reduced functional connectivity between the ventral salience network and the left amygdala was only present in older participants. These findings suggest a modulatory role of exogenous oxytocin on resting-state functional connectivity within the salience network and support age-differential effects of acute intranasal oxytocin administration on this network.

Resting-state dynamic functional connectivity predicts the psychosocial stress response

Acute stress triggers a complex cascade of psychological, physiological, and neural responses, which show large and enduring individual differences. Although previous studies have examined the relationship between the stress response and dynamic features of the brain's resting state, no study has used the brain's dynamic activity in the resting state to predict individual differences in the psychosocial stress response. In the current study, resting-state scans of forty-eight healthy participants were collected, and then their individual acute stress responses during the Montreal Imaging Stress Test (MIST) paradigm were recorded. Results defined a connectivity state (CS) characterized by positive correlations across the whole brain during resting-state that could negatively predict participants' feelings of social evaluative threat during stress tasks. Another CS characterized by negative correlations between the frontal-parietal network (FPN) and almost all other networks, except the dorsal attentional network (DAN), could predict participants' subjective stress, feelings of uncontrollability, and feelings of social evaluative threat. However, no CS could predict participants' salivary cortisol stress response. Overall, these results suggested that the brain state characterized as attentional regulation, linking self-control, and top-down regulation ability, could predict the psychosocial stress response. This study also developed an objective indicator for predicting human stress responses.

The functional connectivity basis of creative achievement linked with openness to experience and divergent thinking

Openness to experience and divergent thinking are considered to be critical in real-life creative achievement. However, there is still a lack of neural evidence to explain how creative achievement is related to openness to experience and divergent thinking. Here, a structural equation model and resting-state functional connectivity were used to investigate their relationships in college students. The structural equation model results repeatedly showed that openness to experience and divergent thinking are positively associated with creative achievement, and the resting-state functional connectivity results showed that openness to experience and divergent thinking were both correlated with the attention network and default mode network. However, openness to experience was also correlated with the primary sensorimotor network and frontoparietal control network. Mediation models further corroborated this result. Collectively, these findings support previous works and further indicate that different neural bases may underlie the associations of creative achievement with openness to experience and divergent thinking.

The bright side and dark side of daydreaming predict creativity together through brain functional connectivity

Daydreaming and creativity have similar cognitive processes and neural basis. However, few empirical studies have examined the relationship between daydreaming and creativity using cognitive neuroscience methods. The present study explored the relationship between different types of daydreaming and creativity and their common neural basis. The behavioral results revealed that positive constructive daydreaming is positively related to creativity, while poor attentional control is negatively related to it. Machine learning framework was adopted to examine the predictive effect of daydreaming-related brain functional connectivity (FC) on creativity. The results demonstrated that task FCs related to positive constructive daydreaming and task FCs related to poor attentional control both predicted an individual's creativity score successfully. In addition, task FCs combining the positive constructive daydreaming and poor attentional control also had significant predictive effect on creativity score. Furthermore, predictive analysis based on resting-state FCs showed similar patterns. Both of the subscale-related FCs and combined FCs had significant predictive effect on creativity score. Further analysis showed the task and the resting-state FCs both mainly located in the default mode network, central executive network, salience network, and attention network. These results showed that daydreaming was closely related to creativity, as they shared common FC basis.

Functional Realignment of Frontoparietal Subnetworks during Divergent Creative Thinking

Creative cognition has been consistently associated with functional connectivity between frontoparietal control and default networks. However, recent research identified distinct connectivity dynamics for subnetworks within the larger frontoparietal system-one subnetwork (FPCNa) shows positive coupling with the default network and another subnetwork (FPCNb) shows negative default coupling-raising questions about how these networks interact during creative cognition. Here we examine frontoparietal subnetwork functional connectivity in a large sample of participants (n = 171) who completed a divergent creative thinking task and a resting-state scan during fMRI. We replicated recent findings on functional connectivity of frontoparietal subnetworks at rest: FPCNa positively correlated with the default network and FPCNb negatively correlated with the default network. Critically, we found that divergent thinking evoked functional connectivity between both frontoparietal subnetworks and the default network, but in different ways. Using community detection, we found that FPCNa regions showed greater coassignment to a default network community. However, FPCNb showed overall stronger functional connectivity with the default network-reflecting a reversal of negative connectivity at rest-and the strength of FPCNb-default network connectivity correlated with individual creative ability. These findings provide novel evidence of a behavioral benefit to the cooperation of typically anticorrelated brain networks.

Spatiospectral brain networks reflective of improvisational experience

Musical improvisers are trained to categorize certain musical structures into functional classes, which is thought to facilitate improvisation. Using a novel auditory oddball paradigm (Goldman et al., 2020) which enables us to disassociate a deviant (i.e. musical chord inversion) from a consistent functional class, we recorded scalp EEG from a group of musicians who spanned a range of improvisational and classically trained experience. Using a spatiospectral based inter and intra network connectivity analysis, we found that improvisers showed a variety of differences in connectivity within and between large-scale cortical networks compared to classically trained musicians, as a function of deviant type. Inter-network connectivity in the alpha band, for a time window leading up to the behavioural response, was strongly linked to improvisation experience, with the default mode network acting as a hub. Spatiospectral networks post response were substantially different between improvisers and classically trained musicians, with greater inter-network connectivity (specific to the alpha and beta bands) seen in improvisers whereas those with more classical training had largely reduced inter-network activity (mostly in the gamma band). More generally, we interpret our findings in the context of network-level correlates of expectation violation as a function of subject expertise, and we discuss how these may generalize to other and more ecologically valid scenarios.

Cortical Networks of Creative Ability Trace Gene Expression Profiles of Synaptic Plasticity in the Human Brain

The ability to produce novel ideas is central to societal progress and innovation; however, little is known about the biological basis of creativity. Here, we investigate the organization of brain networks that support creativity by combining functional neuroimaging data with gene expression information. Given the multifaceted nature of creative thinking, we hypothesized that distributed connectivity would not only be related to individual differences in creative ability, but also delineate the cortical distributions of genes involved in synaptic plasticity. We defined neuroimaging phenotypes using a graph theory approach that detects local and distributed network circuits, then characterized the spatial associations between functional connectivity and cortical gene expression distributions. Our findings reveal strong spatial correlations between connectivity maps and sets of genes devoted to synaptic assembly and signaling. This connectomic-transcriptome approach thus identifies gene expression profiles associated with high creative ability, linking cognitive flexibility to neural plasticity in the human brain.

Brain Entropy is Associated with Divergent Thinking

Creativity is the ability to generate original and useful products, and it is considered central to the progression of human civilization. As a noninherited emerging process, creativity may stem from temporally dynamic brain activity, which, however, has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to measure brain dynamics using entropy and to examine the associations between brain entropy (BEN) and divergent thinking in a large healthy sample. The results showed that divergent thinking was consistently positively correlated with regional BEN in the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex/pre-supplementary motor area and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, suggesting that creativity is closely related to the functional dynamics of the control networks involved in cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control. Importantly, our main results were cross-validated in two independent cohorts from two different cultures. Additionally, three dimensions of divergent thinking (fluency, flexibility, and originality) were positively correlated with regional BEN in the left inferior frontal gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus, suggesting that more highly creative individuals possess more flexible semantic associative networks. Taken together, our findings provide the first evidence of the associations of regional BEN with individual variations in divergent thinking and show that BEN is sensitive to detecting variations in important cognitive abilities in healthy subjects.

Brain functional network modeling and analysis based on fMRI: a systematic review

In recent years, the number of patients with neurodegenerative diseases (i.e., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, mild cognitive impairment) and mental disorders (i.e., depression, anxiety and schizophrenia) have increased dramatically. Researchers have found that complex network analysis can reveal the topology of brain functional networks, such as small-world, scale-free, etc. In the study of brain diseases, it has been found that these topologies have undergoed abnormal changes in different degrees. Therefore, the research of brain functional networks can not only provide a new perspective for understanding the pathological mechanism of neurological and psychiatric diseases, but also provide assistance for the early diagnosis. Focusing on the study of human brain functional networks, this paper reviews the research results in recent years. First, this paper introduces the background of the study of brain functional networks under complex network theory and the important role of topological properties in the study of brain diseases. Second, the paper describes how to construct a brain functional network using neural image data. Third, the common methods of functional network analysis, including network structure analysis and disease classification, are introduced. Fourth, the role of brain functional networks in pathological study, analysis and diagnosis of brain functional diseases is studied. Finally, the paper summarizes the existing studies of brain functional networks and points out the problems and future research directions.

Plasticity of the resting-state brain: static and dynamic functional connectivity change induced by divergent thinking training

Creativity is very important and is linked to almost all areas of our everyday life. Improving creativity brings great benefits. Various strategies and training paradigms have been used to stimulate creative thinking. These training approaches have been confirmed to be effective. However, whether or not training can reshape the resting-state brain is still unclear. The present study examined whether or not the divergent thinking training intervention can reshape the resting-state brain functional connectivity (FC). Static seed-based and dynamic approaches were used to explore this problem. Results demonstrate significant changes in static and dynamic FCs. FCs, such as dorsal anterior cingulate cortex-inferior parietal lobule, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex-precuneus and left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, was significantly improved through the training. Furthermore, the temporal variability of the supplementary motor area and middle temporal gyrus was improved. These results indicate that divergent thinking training may lead to resting-state brain plasticity. Considering the role of these regions in brain networks, the present study further confirms the close relationship between the brain networks' dynamic interactions and divergent thinking processes.

Multi-modal artificial dura for simultaneous large-scale optical access and large-scale electrophysiology in non-human primate cortex

Objective.Non-human primates (NHPs) are critical for development of translational neural technologies because of their neurological and neuroanatomical similarities to humans. Large-scale neural interfaces in NHPs with multiple modalities for stimulation and data collection poise us to unveil network-scale dynamics of both healthy and unhealthy neural systems. We aim to develop a large-scale multi-modal interface for NHPs for the purpose of studying large-scale neural phenomena including neural disease, damage, and recovery.Approach.We present a multi-modal artificial dura (MMAD) composed of flexible conductive traces printed into transparent medical grade polymer. Our MMAD provides simultaneous neurophysiological recordings and optical access to large areas of the cortex (∼3 cm2) and is designed to mitigate photo-induced electrical artifacts. The MMAD is the centerpiece of the interfaces we have designed to support electrocorticographic recording and stimulation, cortical imaging, and optogenetic experiments, all at the large-scales afforded by the brains of NHPs. We performed electrical and optical experiments bench-side andin vivowith macaques to validate the utility of our MMAD.Main results.Using our MMAD we present large-scale electrocorticography from sensorimotor cortex of three macaques. Furthermore, we validated surface electrical stimulation in one of our animals. Our bench-side testing showed up to 90% reduction of photo-induced artifacts with our MMAD. The transparency of our MMAD was confirmed both via bench-side testing (87% transmittance) and viain vivoimaging of blood flow from the underlying microvasculature using optical coherence tomography angiography.Significance.Our results indicate that our MMAD supports large-scale electrocorticography, large-scale cortical imaging, and, by extension, large-scale optical stimulation. The MMAD prepares the way for both acute and long-term chronic experiments with complimentary data collection and stimulation modalities. When paired with the complex behaviors and cognitive abilities of NHPs, these assets prepare us to study large-scale neural phenomena including neural disease, damage, and recovery.

An Evaluation of Executive Control Function and Its Relationship with Driving Performance

The driver's attentional state is a significant human factor in traffic safety. The executive control process is a crucial sub-function of attention. To explore the relationship between the driver's driving performance and executive control function, a total of 35 healthy subjects were invited to take part in a simulated driving experiment and a task-cuing experiment. The subjects were divided into three groups according to their driving performance (aberrant driving behaviors, including lapses and errors) by the clustering method. Then the performance efficiency and electroencephalogram (EEG) data acquired in the task-cuing experiment were compared among the three groups. The effect of group, task transition types and cue-stimulus intervals (CSIs) were statistically analyzed by using the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the post hoc simple effect analysis. The subjects with lower driving error rates had better executive control efficiency as indicated by the reaction time (RT) and error rate in the task-cuing experiment, which was related with their better capability to allocate the available attentional resources, to express the external stimuli and to process the information in the nervous system, especially the fronto-parietal network. The activation degree of the frontal area fluctuated, and of the parietal area gradually increased along with the increase of CSI, which implied the role of the frontal area in task setting reconstruction and working memory maintaining, and of the parietal area in stimulus-Response (S-R) mapping expression. This research presented evidence of the close relationship between executive control functions and driving performance.

The neuroscience of positive emotions and affect: Implications for cultivating happiness and wellbeing

This review paper provides an integrative account regarding neurophysiological correlates of positive emotions and affect that cumulatively contribute to the scaffolding for happiness and wellbeing in humans and other animals. This paper reviews the associations among neurotransmitters, hormones, brain networks, and cognitive functions in the context of positive emotions and affect. Consideration of lifespan developmental perspectives are incorporated, and we also examine the impact of healthy social relationships and environmental contexts on the modulation of positive emotions and affect. The neurophysiological processes that implement positive emotions are dynamic and modifiable, and meditative practices as well as flow states that change patterns of brain function and ultimately support wellbeing are also discussed. This review is part of "The Human Affectome Project" (http://neuroqualia.org/background.php), and in order to advance a primary aim of the Human Affectome Project, we also reviewed relevant linguistic dimensions and terminology that characterizes positive emotions and wellbeing. These linguistic dimensions are discussed within the context of the neuroscience literature with the overarching goal of generating novel recommendations for advancing neuroscience research on positive emotions and wellbeing.

Identify abnormal functional connectivity of resting state networks in Autism spectrum disorder and apply to machine learning-based classification

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients are often reported altered patterns of functional connectivity (FC) on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) scans. However, the results in similar brain regions were inconsistent. In this study, we first investigated statistical differences in large-scale resting-state networks (RSNs) on 192 healthy controls (HCs) and 103 ASD patients by using independent component analysis (ICA). Second, an image-based meta-analysis (IBMA) was applied to discover the consistency of spatial patterns from different sites. Last, utilizing these patterns as features, we used Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier to identify whether a subject was suffering from ASD or not. As a result, six RSNs were obtained with ICA. In each RSN, we identified altered functional connectivity between ASD and HC across the multi-site data. We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve plots (AUC) to determine the classification performance. The AUC value of classification reaches 0.988. In conclusion, the present study indicates that intrinsic connectivity patterns produced from rsfMRI data could yield a possible biomarker of ASD and contributed to the neurobiology of ASD.

Graph Theoretic Analysis Reveals Intranasal Oxytocin Induced Network Changes Over Frontal Regions

In this study, we aim to elucidate how intranasal oxytocin modulates brain network characteristics, especially over the frontal network. As an essential brain hub of social cognition and emotion regulation, we also explore the association between graphic properties of the frontal network and individual personality traits under oxytocin (OT) administration. Fifty-nine male participants administered intranasal OT or placebo were followed by resting-state fMRI scanning. The correlation-based network model was applied to study OT modulation effects. We performed community detection algorithms and conducted further network analyses, including clustering coefficient, average shortest path and eigenvector centrality. In addition, we conducted a correlation analysis between clustering coefficients and the self-assessed psychological scales. Modular organizations in the OT group reveal integrations of the frontoparietal network (FPN) and the default mode network (DMN) over frontal regions. Results show that frontal nodes within the FPN are characterized by lower clustering coefficients and higher average shortest path values compared to the placebo group. Notably, these modulation effects on frontal network property are associated with Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) fantasy value. Our results suggest that OT elevates integrations between FPN, DMN and limbic system as well as reduces small-worldness within the FPN. Our results support graph theoretic analysis as a potential tool to assess OT induced effects on the information integration in the frontal network.

Static and dynamic functional connectivity supports the configuration of brain networks associated with creative cognition

Creative cognition is recognized to involve the integration of multiple spontaneous cognitive processes and is manifested as complex networks within and between the distributed brain regions. We propose that the processing of creative cognition involves the static and dynamic re-configuration of brain networks associated with complex cognitive processes. We applied the sliding-window approach followed by a community detection algorithm and novel measures of network flexibility on the blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal of 8 major functional brain networks to reveal static and dynamic alterations in the network reconfiguration during creative cognition using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Our results demonstrate the temporal connectivity of the dynamic large-scale creative networks between default mode network (DMN), salience network, and cerebellar network during creative cognition, and advance our understanding of the network neuroscience of creative cognition.

Think Hard or Think Smart: Network Reconfigurations After Divergent Thinking Associate With Creativity Performance

Evidence suggests divergent thinking is the cognitive basis of creative thoughts. Neuroimaging literature using resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) has revealed network reorganizations during divergent thinking. Recent studies have revealed the changes of network organizations when performing creativity tasks, but such brain reconfigurations may be prolonged after task and be modulated by the trait of creativity. To investigate the dynamic reconfiguration, 40 young participants were recruited to perform consecutive Alternative Uses Tasks (AUTs) for divergent thinking and two resting-state scans (before and after AUT) were used for mapping the brain reorganizations after AUT. We split participants into high- and low-creative groups based on creative achievement questionnaire (CAQ) and targeted on reconfigurations of the two brain networks: (1) default-mode network (DMN) and (2) the network seeded at the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) because the between-group difference of AUT-induced brain activation located at the left IFG. The changes of post-AUT RSFCs (DMN and IFGN) indicated the prolonged effect of divergent thinking. More specifically, the alterations of RSFC_IFG−AG and RSFC_IFG−IPL (AG: angular gyrus, IPG: inferior parietal lobule) in the high-creative group had positive relationship with their AUT performances (originality and fluency), but not found in the low-creative group. Furthermore, the RSFC changes of DMN did not present significant relationships with AUT performances. The findings not only confirmed the possibility of brain dynamic reconfiguration following divergent thinking, but also suggested the distinct IFGN reconfiguration between individuals with different creativity levels.

Creative Connections: Computational Semantic Distance Captures Individual Creativity and Resting-State Functional Connectivity

Recent studies of creative cognition have revealed interactions between functional brain networks involved in the generation of novel ideas; however, the neural basis of creativity is highly complex and presents a great challenge in the field of cognitive neuroscience, partly because of ambiguity around how to assess creativity. We applied a novel computational method of verbal creativity assessment-semantic distance-and performed weighted degree functional connectivity analyses to explore how individual differences in assembly of resting-state networks are associated with this objective creativity assessment. To measure creative performance, a sample of healthy adults (n = 175) completed a battery of divergent thinking (DT) tasks, in which they were asked to think of unusual uses for everyday objects. Computational semantic models were applied to calculate the semantic distance between objects and responses to obtain an objective measure of DT performance. All participants underwent resting-state imaging, from which we computed voxel-wise connectivity matrices between all gray matter voxels. A linear regression analysis was applied between DT and weighted degree of the connectivity matrices. Our analysis revealed a significant connectivity decrease in the visual-temporal and parietal regions, in relation to increased levels of DT. Link-level analyses showed higher local connectivity within visual regions was associated with lower DT, whereas projections from the precuneus to the right inferior occipital and temporal cortex were positively associated with DT. Our results demonstrate differential patterns of resting-state connectivity associated with individual creative thinking ability, extending past work using a new application to automatically assess creativity via semantic distance.

Intact microstructure of the right corticostriatal pathway predicts creative ability in healthy adults

INTRODUCTION

Creativity is one of the most complex functions of the human brain. The corticostriatal pathways have been implicated in creative thinking, yet few studies have addressed the microstructural underpinnings of creative ability, especially those related to the corticostriatal dopaminergic circuitry. We hypothesized that performance in creativity tests can be predicted based on diffusion metrics of the corticostriatal pathways and basal ganglia.

METHODS

A total of 37 healthy adults were included. Neuropsychological tests of creativity, including the alternative uses task (AUT), test of creative imagery abilities (TCIA), remote associates test (RAT), and creative achievement questionnaire (CAQ), as well as diffusion MRI data were acquired for each participant.

RESULTS

We demonstrated an independent effect of TCIA originality and TCIA transformativeness subscores, and RAT score in predicting the mean diffusivity (MD), mean axial diffusivity (AD), mean fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean generalized FA of the right corticostriatal pathway. We also observed independent effects of AUT elaboration subscore in predicting the AD of the right substantia nigra, and radial diffusivity (RD) of the right globus pallidus.

CONCLUSION

Our results put a further spin on the "creative right brain" notion and question the presence of high-creative and low-creative networks in the brain.

Brain Network Constancy and Participant Recognition: an Integrated Approach to Big Data and Complex Network Analysis

With the development of big data sharing and data standardization, electroencephalogram (EEG) data are increasingly used in the exploration of human cognitive behavior. Most of the existing studies focus on the changes of human brain network topology (the number of connections, degree distribution, clustering coefficient phantom) in various cognitive behaviors. However, there has been little exploration into the steady state of multi-cognitive behaviors and the recognition of multi-participant brain networks. To solve these two problems, we used EEG data of 99 healthy participants from the PhysioBank to study multi-cognitive behaviors. Specifically, we calculated the symbolic transfer entropy (STE) between 64 electrode sequences of EEG data and constructed the brain networks of various cognitive behaviors of each participant using the directed minimum spanning tree (DMST) algorithm. We then investigated the eigenvalue spectrum of the STE matrix of each individual's cognitive behavior. The results also showed that the spectrum distributions of different cognitive states of the same participant remained relatively stable, but those of the same cognitive state of different participants varied considerably, verifying the relative stability and uniqueness of the human brain network similar to a human's fingerprint. Based on these features, we used the spectral distribution set of 99 participants of various cognitive states as the original data set and developed a spectral distribution set scoring (SDSS) method to identify the brain network participants. It was found that most labels (69.35%) of the test participant with the highest score were identical to the labeled participant. This study provided further evidence for the existence of human brain fingerprints, and furnished a new approach for dynamic identification of brain fingerprints.

Brain White Matter Correlates of Creativity in Schizophrenia: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

The relationship between creativity and psychopathology has been a controversial research topic for decades. Specifically, it has been shown that people with schizophrenia have an impairment in creative performance. However, little is known about the brain correlates underlying this impairment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze whole brain white matter (WM) correlates of several creativity dimensions in people with schizophrenia. Fifty-five patients with schizophrenia underwent diffusion-weighted imaging on a 3T magnetic resonance imaging machine as well as a clinical and a creativity assessment, including verbal and figural creativity measures. Tract-based spatial statistic, implemented in FMRIB Software Library (FSL), was used to assess whole brain WM correlates with different creativity dimensions, controlling for sex, age, premorbid IQ, and medication. Mean fractional anisotropy (FA) in frontal, temporal, subcortical, brain stem, and interhemispheric regions correlated positively with figural originality. The most significant clusters included the right corticospinal tract (cerebral peduncle part) and the right body of the corpus callosum. Verbal creativity did not show any significant correlation. As a whole, these findings suggest that widespread WM integrity is involved in creative performance of patients with schizophrenia. Many of these areas have also been related to creativity in healthy people. In addition, some of these regions have shown to be particularly impaired in schizophrenia, suggesting that these WM alterations could be underlying the worse creative performance found in this pathology.

Mapping the artistic brain: Common and distinct neural activations associated with musical, drawing, and literary creativity

Whether creativity is a domain‐general or domain‐specific ability has been a topic of intense speculation. Although previous studies have examined domain‐specific mechanisms of creative performance, little is known about commonalities and distinctions in neural correlates across different domains. We applied activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta‐analysis to identify the brain activation of domain‐mechanisms by synthesizing functional neuroimaging studies across three forms of artistic creativity: music improvisation, drawing, and literary creativity. ALE meta‐analysis yielded a domain‐general pattern across three artistic forms, with overlapping clusters in the presupplementary motor area (pre‐SMA), left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Regarding domain‐specificity, musical creativity was associated with recruitment of the SMA‐proper, bilateral IFG, left precentral gyrus, and left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) compared to the other two artistic forms; drawing creativity recruited the left fusiform gyrus, left precuneus, right parahippocampal gyrus, and right MFG compared to musical creativity; and literary creativity recruited the left angular gyrus and right lingual gyrus compared to musical creativity. Contrasting drawing and literary creativity revealed no significant differences in neural activation, suggesting that these domains may rely on a common neurocognitive system. Overall, these findings reveal a central, domain‐general system for artistic creativity, but with each domain relying to some degree on domain‐specific neural circuits.

Early stimulation of the left posterior parietal cortex promotes representation change in problem solving

When you suddenly understand how to solve a problem through an original and efficient strategy, you experience the so-called “Eureka” effect. The appearance of insight usually occurs after setting the problem aside for a brief period of time (i.e. incubation), thereby promoting unconscious and novel associations on problem-related representations leading to a new and efficient solving strategy. The left posterior parietal cortex (lPPC) has been showed to support insight in problem solving, when this region is activated during the initial representations of the task. The PPC is further activated during the next incubation period when the mind starts to wander. The aim of this study was to investigate whether stimulating the lPPC, either during the initial training on the problem or the incubation period, might enhance representation change in problem solving. To address this question, participants performed the Number Reduction Task (NRT, convergent problem-solving), while excitatory or sham (placebo) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was applied over the lPPC. The stimulation was delivered either during the initial problem representation or during the subsequent incubation period. Impressively, almost all participants (94%) with excitatory tDCS during the initial training gained representational change in problem solving, compared to only 39% in the incubation period and 33% in the sham groups. We conclude that the lPPC plays a role during the initial problem representation, which may be considerably strengthened by means of short brain stimulation.

Brain hemispheric involvement in visuospatial and verbal divergent thinking

Hemispheric lateralization for creative thinking remains a controversial topic. Early behavioral and neuroimaging research supported right hemisphere dominance in creative thinking, but more recent evidence suggests the left hemisphere plays an equally important role. In addition, the extent to which hemispheric lateralization in specific brain regions relates to individual creative ability, and whether hemispheric dominance relates to distinct task performance, remain poorly understood. Here, using multivariate predictive modeling of resting-state functional MRI data in a large sample of adults (N = 502), we estimated hemispheric segregation and integration for each brain region and investigated these lateralization indices with respect to individual differences in visuospatial and verbal divergent thinking. Our analyses revealed that individual visuospatial divergent thinking performance could be predicted by right-hemispheric segregation within the visual network, sensorimotor network, and some regions within the default mode network. High visuospatial divergent thinking was related to stronger functional connectivity between the visual network, fronto-parietal network, and default mode network within the right hemisphere. In contrast, high verbal divergent thinking performance could be predicted by inter-hemispheric balance within regions mainly involved in complex semantic processing (e.g., lateral temporal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus) and cognitive control processing (e.g., inferior frontal gyrus, middle frontal cortex, and superior parietal lobule). The current study suggests that two distinct forms of functional lateralization support individual differences in visuospatial and verbal divergent thinking. These findings have important implications for our understanding of hemispheric interaction mechanisms of creative thinking.

Verbal Creativity Is Correlated With the Dynamic Reconfiguration of Brain Networks in the Resting State

Creativity is the foundation of human culture. All inventions and innovations in history rely upon us to break with the traditional thinking and create something novel. A number of neuroimaging studies have explored the neural mechanism of creativity. However, a majority of researches have focused only on the stationary functional connectivity in resting-state fMRI and task-related fMRI, neglecting the dynamic variation of brain networks. Here, we used dynamic network analysis to investigate the relation between the dynamic reorganization of brain networks and verbal creativity in 370 healthy subjects. We found that the integration of the left lingual gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) in default mode network (DMN) and the integration of the DMN and cerebellum, frontoparietal task control network (FPTC) and auditory network (Aud) showed positive correlation with verbal creativity performance. In addition, the recruitment of the bilateral postcentral gyrus from the sensory/somatomotor network (SMN) and the recruitment of the SMN in general displayed a significant correlation with verbal creativity scores. Taken together, these results suggested that the dynamic reorganization among the brain networks involved multiple cognitive processes, such as memory retrieval, imaginative process, cognitive control - these are all important for verbal creativity. These findings provided direct evidence that verbal creativity was related to the dynamic variation of brain mechanism during resting-state, extending past research on the neural mechanism of creativity. Meanwhile, these results bought about new perspectives for verbal creative training and rehabilitation training of depression.

Mechanisms of Creativity Differences Between Art and Non-art Majors: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

Creativity is considered the ability to generate new ideas or behaviors, an ability that have diverse expressions in different human groups, such as painters and non-painters. Art major students require more creative activities than non-art students do. In this study, we plan to explore the figural creativity abilities of art major students and whether these students exhibited higher figural creativity scores and why their brain structure of gray matter are lower which may benefit from their professional training relative to non-art majors. Therefore, in this study, we use voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to identify different behavioral and brain mechanisms between art major students and non-art major students by using the figural Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. Our results showed that the TTCT-figural (TTCT-F) scores of art majors were higher than those of non-art majors. The TTCT-F score of art major students and practicing and study time have positive correlations which means art major's figural creativity score benefit from there art professional training in some degree. Subsequently, the interaction analysis revealed that the TTCT-figural scores of art majors and non-majors exhibited significant correlations with the gray matter volumes (GMV) of the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the left medial frontal gyrus (MFG). While the simple slope analysis showed that art majors, compared with non-art majors, exhibited a marginal significantly positive association with the left ACC and MFG, non-art majors exhibited a significantly negative association with the left ACC and MFG. Overall, our study revealed that people who major in artistic work are more likely to possess enhanced figural creative skills relative to non-artistic people. These results indicated that professional artistic programs or training may increase creativity skills via reorganized intercortical connections.