Anodal tDCS to Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Facilitates Performance for Novice Jazz Improvisers but Hinders Experts

Abstract

Research on creative cognition reveals a fundamental disagreement about the nature of creative thought, specifically, whether it is primarily based on automatic, associative (Type-1) or executive, controlled (Type-2) processes. We hypothesized that Type-1 and Type-2 processes make differential contributions to creative production that depend on domain expertise. We tested this hypothesis with jazz pianists whose expertise was indexed by the number of public performances given. Previous fMRI studies of musical improvisation have reported that domain expertise is characterized by deactivation of the right-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (r-DLPFC), a brain area associated with Type-2 executive processing. We used anodal, cathodal, and sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over r-DLPFC with the reference electrode on the contralateral mastoid (1.5 mA for 15 min, except for sham) to modulate the quality of the pianists' performances while they improvised over chords with drum and bass accompaniment. Jazz experts rated each improvisation for creativity, esthetic appeal, and technical proficiency. There was no main effect of anodal or cathodal stimulation on ratings compared to sham; however, a significant interaction between anodal tDCS and expertise emerged such that stimulation benefitted musicians with less experience but hindered those with more experience. We interpret these results as evidence for a dual-process model of creativity in which novices and experts differentially engage Type-1 and Type-2 processes during creative production.

Bi-temporal anodal tDCS during slow-wave sleep boosts episodic memory consolidation in high performers

“…In contrast to previous studies that found stronger tDCS effects on low performers [23][24][25]53], the high performers in our study showed the anticipated tDCS effect. It is important to note that none of the studies applied comparable tasks, stimulation timing, or stimulation sites.…”

“…Additionally, negative findings in healthy participants might have obscured an effect of individual baseline performance on responsiveness to TES. A number of studies have found that baseline performance of study participants might modulate the stimulation effect on the outcome performance [23][24][25][26]. Taken together, these examples suggest an efficacy-dependent brain-trait and brain-state variability of TES [27].…”

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on exercise performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…In addition, studies have shown that the baseline level of motor function influences the after-effects of tDCS. So that, individuals with lower baseline level of function show (greater) improvements after tDCS while those with higher levels of function display lower improvements or no change in performance [95,96]. However, those studies were performed with fine motor skills (i.e.…”

Towards a standard model of musical improvisation

“…This coupling is also seen in musical improvisation, which requires deliberate planning of musical material with automatic execution of that plan using the target instrument. In the Rosen and colleagues study () detailed above, tDCS disruption to the right dlPFC helped performance for deliberate‐dominant novice improvisers, but had a detrimental effect on the improvisations of automatic‐dominant experts. Lopata et al.…”

“…Rosen et al. () studied changes in improvisatory behaviour using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to interrupt the right dlPFC. They found the quality of improvisation improved for novice improvisers, but decreased for experts, indicating a different creative process based on expertise.…”