Spontaneous and deliberate modes of creativity: Multitask eigen-connectivity analysis captures latent cognitive modes during creative thinking

• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118531
• Publication Date: 2021-08-29T13:37:39Z
• Authors: Hua Xie; Roger E. Beaty; Sahar Jahanikia; Caleb Geniesse; Neeraj S. Sonalkar; Manish Saggar
• Keywords: Mind Wandering

Despite substantial progress in the quest of demystifying brain basis creativity, several questions remain open. One such issue concerns relationship between two latent cognitive modes during creative thinking, i.e., deliberate goal-directed cognition and spontaneous thought generation. Although an interplay thinking is often implicated creativity literature (e.g., dual-process models), a bottom-up data-driven validation processes associated with still lacking. Here, we attempted to capture by utilizing approach on novel continuous multitask paradigm (CMP) that widely sampled hypothetical two-dimensional plane single fMRI session. The CMP consisted eight task blocks ranging from undirected mind wandering working memory task, while also included widely-used tasks, alternate uses (AUT) remote association (RAT). Using eigen-connectivity (EC) analysis whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) patterns, embedded FCs into low-dimensional space. first components, as revealed EC analysis, broadly mapped onto respectively. Further, this space, both tasks were located upper right corner high (creative space). Neuroanatomically, space was represented not only increased intra-network within executive control default mode network, but higher coupling canonical networks. individual differences reflected embeddings related abilities. Altogether, using approach, provide initial empirical evidence for contribution thinking.