Research Identifies the Brain’s Source of Creativity
Have you ever experienced a sudden breakthrough on a tough problem while thinking about something entirely different? This kind of creative thought, a defining trait of humanity, often appears unexpectedly, almost paradoxically, when least sought.
Unveiling the Origins of Creativity
The neurological origins of creativity—how our brains generate these out-of-the-box ideas—have been equally elusive. However, a research team led by a University of Utah Health researcher, based at Baylor College of Medicine, has employed a precise brain imaging method to reveal how various brain regions collaborate to produce creative thought. “Their findings were published in Brain on June 18.”
These insights could pave the way for interventions that enhance creative thinking or aid individuals with mental illnesses affecting these brain regions. Higher cognitive processes like creativity are notoriously difficult to study. Unlike motor functions or vision, creativity doesn’t depend on a single brain location. As Ben Shofty, MD, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine and senior author of the paper, explains, there isn’t a specific “creativity cortex.”
The Default Mode Network and Creativity
Evidence indicates that creativity is a distinct brain function. Brain injuries from strokes can alter creative abilities, suggesting a neurological basis for creativity. Shofty suspected that creative thought might rely on brain areas activated during meditation, daydreaming, and other internally focused thinking. This network, the default mode network (DMN), operates continuously and maintains our spontaneous stream of consciousness, unlike goal-directed brain functions.
The DMN’s widespread nature across many brain regions makes tracking its real-time activity challenging. Researchers used an advanced brain activity imaging method, commonly employed to locate seizures in severe epilepsy patients, involving tiny electrodes implanted in the brain to track electrical activity precisely. Study participants, already undergoing seizure monitoring, had their brain activity measured during creative thinking, providing unprecedented detail on creativity’s neural basis.
Findings and Implications
The researchers observed that during a creative task, where participants listed novel uses for everyday items, the DMN was the first to activate. “This activity then synchronized with other brain regions involved in complex problem-solving and decision-making, suggesting that creative ideas originate in the DMN before being evaluated by other areas.”
Further, the researchers demonstrated that specific DMN regions are essential for creative thought. Temporarily dampening activity in these regions led to less creative brainstorming, while other brain functions remained normal. Eleonora Bartoli, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine and co-first author, emphasized that their findings show creativity fundamentally depends on the DMN.
Understanding the DMN’s Role in Treatments
Understanding the DMN’s role in creativity could inform treatments for disorders involving altered DMN activity, like ruminative depression. Shofty hopes that by characterizing the brain regions involved in creative thought, future interventions could enhance creativity. Ultimately, the goal is to manipulate the network to boost creative thinking.
Read the Original Article on: Medical Xpress
