Creative thinking as orchestrated by semantic processing vs. cognitive control brain networks

Benedek

Kaufman

et al. 2015

Sci Rep

542

411

The role of attention in creative cognition remains controversial. Neuroimaging studies have reported activation of brain regions linked to both cognitive control and spontaneous imaginative processes, raising questions about how these regions interact to support creative thought. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we explored this question by examining dynamic interactions between brain regions during a divergent thinking task. Multivariate pattern analysis revealed a distributed network associated with divergent thinking, including several core hubs of the default (posterior cingulate) and executive (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) networks. The resting-state network affiliation of these regions was confirmed using data from an independent sample of participants. Graph theory analysis assessed global efficiency of the divergent thinking network, and network efficiency was found to increase as a function of individual differences in divergent thinking ability. Moreover, temporal connectivity analysis revealed increased coupling between default and salience network regions (bilateral insula) at the beginning of the task, followed by increased coupling between default and executive network regions at later stages. Such dynamic coupling suggests that divergent thinking involves cooperation between brain networks linked to cognitive control and spontaneous thought, which may reflect focused internal attention and the top-down control of spontaneous cognition during creative idea production.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Default and Executive Network Coupling Supports Creative Idea Production

Benedek

Kaufman

et al. 2015

Sci Rep

542

411

“…Creativity researchers have long questioned whether creative thought involves more or less cognitive control [66–67]. The research described above highlights the benefits of a nuanced approach to addressing this question, using experimental manipulations that differentiate between sub-processes of creative cognition (e.g., idea generation and evaluation) and neuroimaging data analysis methods that assess interactions between brain regions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creative Cognition and Brain Network Dynamics

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

Benedek

Silvia

et al. 2016

818

626

Creative thinking is central to the arts, sciences, and everyday life. How does the brain produce creative thought? A series of recently published papers has begun to provide insight into this question, reporting a strikingly similar pattern of brain activity and connectivity across a range of creative tasks and domains, from divergent thinking to poetry composition to musical improvisation. This research suggests that creative thought involves dynamic interactions of large-scale brain systems, with the most compelling finding being that the default and executive control networks, which can show an antagonistic relationship, actually cooperate during creative cognition and artistic performance. These findings have implications for understanding how brain networks interact to support complex cognitive processes, particularly those involving goal-directed, self-generated thought.

“…The extent to which creative thought relies upon such top-down and bottomup processes remains a point of debate in the literature on musical improvisation as well as in the literature on domain-general creative cognition (cf. Abraham, 2014;Beaty et al, 2014c;Jung et al, 2013;McMillan et al, 2013;Mok, 2014;Sowden et al, 2014).…”

Section: Pressing's Model Of Improvisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The neuroscience of musical improvisation

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

2015

183

163

Researchers have recently begun to examine the neural basis of musical improvisation, one of the most complex forms of creative behavior. The emerging field of improvisation neuroscience has implications not only for the study of artistic expertise, but also for understanding the neural underpinnings of domain-general processes such as motor control and language production. This review synthesizes functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI) studies of musical improvisation, including vocal and instrumental improvisation, with samples of jazz pianists, classical musicians, freestyle rap artists, and non-musicians. A network of prefrontal brain regions commonly linked to improvisatory behavior is highlighted, including the pre-supplementary motor area, medial prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and dorsal premotor cortex. Activation of premotor and lateral prefrontal regions suggests that a seemingly unconstrained behavior may actually benefit from motor planning and cognitive control. Yet activation of cortical midline regions points to a role of spontaneous cognition characteristic of the default network. Together, such results may reflect cooperation between large-scale brain networks associated with cognitive control and spontaneous thought. The improvisation literature is integrated with Pressing's theoretical model, and discussed within the broader context of research on the brain basis of creative cognition.