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Cited by 505Creativity in Education and NeuroscienceNeural dynamics and brain functionNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

The creative brain: investigation of brain activity during creative problem solving by means of EEG and fMRI

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Fink, Andreas, Grabner, Roland H., Benedek, Mathias, Reishofer, Gernot, Hauswirth, Verena, Fally, Maria, Neuper, Christa, Ebner, Franz +1 more·2009·Human Brain Mapping
DOI 10.1002/hbm.20538PMC PMC6871103
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Abstract

Cortical activity in the EEG alpha band has proven to be particularly sensitive to creativity‐related demands, but its functional meaning in the context of creative cognition has not been clarified yet. Specifically, increases in alpha activity (i.e., alpha synchronisation) in response to creative thinking can be interpreted in different ways: As a functional correlate of cortical idling, as a sign of internal top‐down activity or, more specifically, as selective inhibition of brain regions. We measured brain activity during creative thinking in two studies employing different neurophysiological measurement methods (EEG and fMRI). In both studies, participants worked on four verbal tasks differentially drawing on creative idea generation. The EEG study revealed that the generation of original ideas was associated with alpha synchronisation in frontal brain regions and with a diffuse and widespread pattern of alpha synchronisation over parietal cortical regions. The fMRI study revealed that task performance was associated with strong activation in frontal regions of the left hemisphere. In addition, we found task‐specific effects in parietotemporal brain areas. The findings suggest that EEG alpha band synchronisation during creative thinking can be interpreted as a sign of active cognitive processes rather than cortical idling. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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  • An emerging literature on divergent thinking has yielded a relatively consistent pattern of results implicating the inferior prefrontal cortex and the default mode network.

    “Despite the lack of consensus in the literature at large, an emerging literature on divergent thinking, a central component of general creative ability, has yielded a relatively consistent pattern of results (Abraham et al., 2012, Benedek et al., 2014, Fink et al., 2009, Fink and Benedek, 2014, Gonen-Yaacovi et al., 2013). Such work points to an important role of the inferior prefrontal cortex—reg”

    From Creativity and the default network: A functional connectivity analysis of the creative brain at rest (2014) · cites this paper as Fink et al., 2009

    The Interim discussion reports strong activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the General discussion links that region to generating original ideas. This supports the inferior-prefrontal part of the claim, but the passages from our copy do not identify a default mode network or establish a consistent pattern across the literature (searched: “default mode network”). Page numbers were not supplied. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Prior research has indicated that brain regions and networks supporting semantic memory, top-down and bottom-up attention, and cognitive control are involved in divergent creative thinking.

    “Prior research has indicated that brain regions and networks that support semantic memory, top-down and bottom-up attention, and cognitive control are all involved in divergent creative thinking.”

    From Neural Mechanisms of Episodic Retrieval Support Divergent Creative Thinking (2019) · cites this paper as Fink et al. 2009

    The Interim discussion links creative idea generation to semantic selection, and the General discussion links it to working memory and inhibitory top-down control. But the Introduction says generating original ideas requires a state not driven by external bottom-up stimulation; the paper does not support the claim that bottom-up attention is also involved. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The entire 20 s duration of each trial was modeled because previous creativity fMRI studies have used this approach consistently with similar trial lengths.

    “The entire 20 s duration of each trial was modeled because previous creativity fMRI studies have used this approach consistently with similar trial lengths (cf.Fink et al. 2009Fink et al. , 2010Fink et al. , 2012Fink et al. , 2015;;Sun et al. 2016).”

    From Neural Mechanisms of Episodic Retrieval Support Divergent Creative Thinking (2019) · cites this paper as Fink et al. 2009

    The Apparatus/EEG recording section (p. 738) describes a 20-second idea-generation interval, and the Analysis of MRI data section (p. 739) says the fMRI model covered idea generation without the response period. This supports Fink et al. (2009) as a precedent for modeling a similarly timed interval, but its trials also included a 20-second fixation period and a response period. This source alone does not establish that previous studies used the approach consistently. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Regions within the default mode network have been reported in several recent studies of divergent thinking.

    “Specifically, regions within the default mode network (DMN) have been reported in several recent studies of divergent thinking (Benedek et al., 2014, Ellamil et al., 2012, Fink et al., 2009, Fink et al., 2012; Gonen-Yaacovi et al., 2013, Jung et al., 2010, Takeuchi et al., 2012, Wei et al., 2014).”

    From Creativity and the default network: A functional connectivity analysis of the creative brain at rest (2014) · cites this paper as Fink et al., 2009

  • The left inferior frontal gyrus has been implicated in fMRI studies of divergent thinking and controlled memory retrieval.

    “The left IFG has been implicated in fMRI studies of divergent thinking (Benedek et al., 2014, Benedek et al., 2014, Fink et al., 2009) and controlled memory retrieval (Costafreda et al., 2006, Hirshorn and Thompson-Schill, 2006).”

    From Creativity and the default network: A functional connectivity analysis of the creative brain at rest (2014) · cites this paper as Fink et al., 2009

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [2]2. Baddeley AD, Hitch GJ (1974): Working memory. In:Bower GA, editor. Recent Advances in Learning and Motivation, Vol. 8. New York: Academic Press. pp. 47-90.
  2. [50]50. Neuper C, Klimesch W (2006): Event-related dynamics of brain oscillations. Series: Progress in Brain Research, Vol. 159. Am- sterdam: Elsevier.
  3. [53]53. Pfurtscheller G (1999): Quantification of ERD and ERS in the time domain. In: Pfurtscheller G, Lopes da Silva FH, editors. Event- Related Desynchronization. Handbook of Electroencephalogra- phy and Clinical Neurophysiology, rev. edition, Vol. 6. Amster- dam: Elsevier. pp. 89-105.

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Authors
Fink, A., Grabner, R. H., Benedek, M., Reishofer, G., Hauswirth, V., Fally, M., Neuper, C., Ebner, F., & Neubauer, A. C.
Affiliations
  • ETH Zurich (CH)
  • Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE)
  • Medical University of Graz (AT)
  • University of Graz (AT)
ORCID
Venue
Human Brain Mapping
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2008-02-11
Volume
30
Issue
3
Pages
734-748
ISSN
  • 1065-9471 (ISSN-L)
  • 1097-0193
DOI
10.1002/hbm.20538
PMC
PMC6871103
OpenAlex
W2053999696
Cited by
505
References
75
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 33 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 32 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 17
FWCI
15.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • Human Brain Mapping (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Creativity in Education and Neuroscience
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
creativity, creative problem solving, EEG alpha band, creative idea generation, frontal cortex, parietal cortex, left hemisphere, top-down control, verbal tasks
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Brain, Brain Mapping, Creativity, Electroencephalography, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Problem Solving

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