Uncovering neural distinctions and commodities between two creativity subsets: A meta-analysis of fMRI studies in divergent thinking and insight using activation likelihood estimation

Neural representations of noncentral events during narrative encoding predict subsequent story ending originality

On the basis of the confluence theories of creativity, creative ideation depends on forging links between existing memory traces. The synergy between memory and creative thought is well-established, but neural dynamics of memory integration for creativity are understudied. Here, we extended the traditional memory paradigm. Participants read, recalled narratives, and wrote endings. Computational linguistic analysis showed that those integrating more noncentral events-those less semantically connected to other events within the narrative-wrote more original endings. Analyzing fMRI data captured during narrative encoding, we discovered that story ending originality can be predicted by shared event representation across participants in the right Brodmann area 25 (BA25) and stronger hippocampal event segmentation signal during noncentral event encoding. These results held across different narrative types (i.e., crime, romance, and fantasy stories). Overall, these results offer notable insights, from the perspective of network structure into how humans encode and retrieve complex real-world experiences to enhance creativity.

Common Neural Activations of Creativity and Exploration: A Meta-analysis of Task-based fMRI Studies

Creativity is a common, complex, and multifaceted cognitive activity with significant implications for technological progress, social development, and human survival. Understanding the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying creative thought is essential for fostering individual creativity. While previous studies have demonstrated that exploratory behavior positively influences creative performance, few studies investigated the relationship between creativity and exploration at the neural level. To address this gap, we conducted a quantitative meta-analysis comprising 80 creativity experiments (1,850 subjects) and 23 exploration experiments (646 subjects) to examine potential shared neural activations between creativity and exploration. Furthermore, we analyzed the neural similarities and differences among three forms of creative thinking-divergent thinking (DT), convergent thinking (CT), and artistic creativity-and their relationship with exploration. The conjunction analysis of creativity and exploration revealed significant activations in the bilateral IFJ and left preSMA. Further conjunction analyses revealed that both CT and artistic creativity exhibited common neural activations with exploration, with CT co-activating the left IFJ and artistic creativity co-activating both the right IFJ and left preSMA, while DT did not. Additionally, the conjunction analyses across the three forms of creativity did not identify shared neural activations. Further functional decoding analyses of the overlapping brain regions associated with CT and exploration, as well as artistic creativity and exploration, revealed correlations with inhibitory control mechanisms. These results enhance our understanding of the role of exploration in the creative thinking process and provide valuable insights for developing strategies to foster innovative thinking.

Beyond the uniform creative brain: Inter-individual variability in functional connectivity correlates with creativity

Creativity, characterized by the pursuit of uniqueness and novelty, highlights the importance of individual variability, which have been a key focus in cognitive and behavioral research on creativity. However, most studies on the neural basis of creativity have primarily focused on consistent patterns of brain activity across individuals, with little attention to the variability in brain function. In this study, inter-subject representational similarity analysis was employed to investigate the relationship between inter-individual variability in resting-state functional connectivity and creative ability. The results revealed significant positive correlations between individual variability in functional connectivity maps of multiple brain regions, including the superior frontal gyrus, orbital gyrus, precuneus, cingulate gyrus, and lateral occipital cortex, and variability in creative ability. Notably, both intra-network variability within the default mode network (DMN) and visual network, as well as inter-network variability among the DMN, visual, sensorimotor, dorsal attention, and fronto-parietal networks, were linked to the variability in creative ability. The variations in functional connectivity patterns effectively distinguished individuals with high creative ability from those with lower ability. By examining creativity from the perspective of individual variability, this study provides new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying creativity.

Meta-analysis of fMRI studies related to mathematical creativity

This study presents a comprehensive meta-analysis of fMRI data to explore the neural correlates of mathematical creativity, a vital competence in mathematics education. Utilizing Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) and Meta-Analytic Connectivity Modeling (MACM) techniques, we analyzed studies published up to 2022 to identify brain regions activated during mathematical and creative tasks. The findings reveal significant activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG) during both mathematical and creative tasks, emphasizing their roles in idea generation, working memory, and executive control. The MACM analysis further highlights the importance of the frontoparietal network, a key player in cognitive control, for mathematical creativity. This network's involvement in attention, working memory, and goal orientation aligns with the demands of mathematical problem-solving. Our results offer valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying mathematical creativity, providing a foundation for developing targeted educational strategies to enhance this crucial competence in learners.

The reverberation of implementation errors in a neuroimaging meta-analytic software package: A citation analysis to a technical report on GingerALE

GingerALE, a widely used neuroimaging meta-analysis software package, contained errors in earlier versions that were later corrected. The technical report "Implementation errors in the GingerALE Software: description and recommendations" by Eickhoff et al. (2017) documented these errors and their corresponding fixes. In the current study, the papers that cited the GingerALE technical report were analyzed to identify the reasons for these citations. In August 2023, a search through Web of Science Core Collection identified 158 papers that cited the GingerALE technical report. These papers were manually examined to extract the citation statements and code the citation reasons into 12 categories. The analysis revealed that the most frequent reason for citing the report was to justify the use of a specific statistical threshold, followed by a simple acknowledgement of using GingerALE, acknowledging the impact of the errors in earlier versions of GingerALE on prior studies or the lack of effect on current results, and justifying the number of experiments in a meta-analysis. A small number of reasons related to non-GingerALE software, matters not related to activation likelihood estimation (ALE), or statements not mentioned in the GingerALE technical report.

Emerging infectious disease prevention: Veterinary action required

Emerging and re-emerging infectious disease outbreaks have increased significantly over the past century, largely due to human actions, leading to distress, death and severe socio-economic implications. Coordinated actions by multiple sectors and disciplines are required to address these drivers. The challenge for the veterinary profession is to identify and prioritise the actions to which it can and should contribute. This review explores: the extent to which veterinary oaths promote attention to ecological sustainability; challenges faced during One Health implementation across diverse settings and possible solutions; and opportunities for veterinarians to assist with pandemic prevention by working to stop viral spillover at source. It aims to stimulate a discussion within the veterinary profession regarding how our current approaches: prevent or promote emerging infectious diseases and re-emerging infectious diseases; provide opportunities to improve our preventive contributions going forward; and can yield significant cobenefits.

Investigating the neural substrate variations between easy and challenging creative association tasks during product design within an fMRI scanner

In practice, individuals strive to develop highly original and valuable creative products within specific limitations. However, previous functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies focused on divergent-thinking tasks without considering the "valuableness" of an idea. Additionally, different types of creative tasks (e.g., the easier association vs. the harder association task) may engage distinct cognitive processes. This study aimed to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms associated with different types of creative thinking, specifically focusing on the generation of the most original and valuable creative product within an fMRI scanner. Twenty-one college students participated in a block design study. During each trial, participants were instructed to draw the most original and valuable product inspired by a given figure. The findings revealed that, in comparison to the harder association task, the easier association task led to broader activation across multiple brain regions. However, this broader activation resulted in inefficient thinking and poorer creative performance. Notably, the orbitofrontal cortex exhibited activation across various creativity tasks and displayed connectivity with several seed brain regions, highlighting the importance of decision-making when only one original and valuable product design is allowed. Furthermore, the complex functional connectivity observed between different brain networks reflects the intricate nature of creative thinking. To conclude, widespread activation of brain regions does not necessarily indicate superior creativity. Instead, optimal creative performance within constraints is achieved through an efficient utilization of association for generating innovative ideas, inhibition for suppressing unoriginal ideas, and decision-making to select the most creative idea.

Impaired creative cognition after surgery for an IDH-mutated glioma: A proof-of-concept study

Assessment of high cognitive functions, such as creativity, is often overlooked in medical practice. However, it is crucial to understand the impact of brain tumors, specifically low-grade gliomas, on creative cognition, as these tumors predominantly affect brain regions associated with cognitive creativity. In this study, we investigated creative cognition using the Alternative Uses Task (AUT) and the Combination of Associates Task (CAT) in a cohort of 29 patients who underwent brain surgery for a low-grade glioma, along with 27 control participants. While the group of patients did not exhibit deficits in clinical neuropsychological assessments, our results revealed significant impairment in generating original and creative ideas compared to the control group. Furthermore, when analyzing the specific brain regions affected by the tumors, patients with lesions overlapping the left rostro-lateral prefrontal cortex, a critical region for creativity, displayed more pronounced impairments in the CAT compared to patients with lesions outside this region. These findings provide proof of concept that patients can experience impaired creative cognition following surgery for low-grade glioma, highlighting the importance of assessing higher-order cognitive functions, including creativity, in neurosurgical patients. Moreover, beyond its clinical relevance, our study contributes to advancing our understanding of the neuroscience of creativity.

The role of the prefrontal cortex in semantic control for selecting weakly associated meanings in creative idea generation

Although semantic control is known to play a critical role in selecting weakly associated representations for creative idea generation, direct evidence for this is still lacking. The current study aimed to reveal the role of brain regions, including the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), medial frontal gyrus (MFG), and inferior parietal lobule (IPL), previously reported to be associated with creative idea generation. For this purpose, a functional MRI experiment with a newly developed category judgment task was conducted, which required participants to judge whether two words belonged to the same category. Importantly, weakly associated meanings were manipulated by the task condition, which required selecting an unused meaning of the homonym in a preceding semantic context. The results showed that the selection of a weakly associated meaning for a homonym was associated with an increased activation of the IFG and MFG and a decreased activation of the IPL. These results suggest that IFG and MFG contribute to semantic control processes recruited for the selection of weakly associated meanings and self-guided retrieval, whereas IPL appears to be unrelated to the control demand for creative idea generation.