Convergent creative thinking performance is associated with white matter structures: Evidence from a large sample study

Hikaru Takeuchi; Yasuyuki Taki; Izumi Matsudaira; Shigeyuki Ikeda; Kelssy H Dos S Kawata; Rui Nouchi; Kohei Sakaki; Seishu Nakagawa; Takayuki Nozawa; Susumu Yokota; Tsuyoshi Araki; Sugiko Hanawa; Ryo Ishibashi; Shohei Yamazaki; Ryuta Kawashima

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116577

Convergent creative thinking performance is associated with white matter structures: Evidence from a large sample study

Neuroimage. 2020 Apr 15:210:116577. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116577. Epub 2020 Jan 22.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. Electronic address: takehi@idac.tohoku.ac.jp.
² Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Division of Medical Neuroimaging Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
³ Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁴ Department of Ubiquitous Sensing, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁵ Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Human Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁶ Creative Interdisciplinary Research Division, Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Human and Social Response Research Division, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Advanced Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁷ Advanced Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁸ Department of Human Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan.
⁹ Research Center for the Earth Inclusive Sensing Empathizing with Silent Voices, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
¹⁰ Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
¹¹ Department of Human Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
¹² Department of Human Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Smart-Aging Research Center, Tohoku University, Japan.
¹³ Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Department of Ubiquitous Sensing, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Advanced Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.

PMID: 31978544
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116577

Abstract

In laboratory settings, creativity is measured using tasks of divergent as well as convergent thinking. It has been suggested that brain connectivity is important for creativity. In the present study, we investigated the associations of convergent thinking performance of compound Remote Associates Test (CRAT) with fractional anisotropy (FA) in diffusion tensor imaging and regional white matter (WM) volume (rWMV) in voxel-based morphometry in a large sample of healthy young adults (360 males and 280 females; mean age: 20.9 years, SD = 1.6). We showed that CRAT performance was positively correlated with WM pathway property (i.e., FA) in the left fronto-occipital fasciculus and the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, which play important roles in processing of language and concept. Further, CRAT performance was negatively correlated with rWMV in the widespread frontal temporal subcortical and cerebellar WM areas, suggesting the unique association of convergent thinking with WM connectivity.

Keywords: Convergent thinking; Diffusion tensor imaging; Remote associates; Structural connectivity; Voxel-based morphometry.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Concept Formation / physiology
Creativity
Diffusion Tensor Imaging*
Female
Humans
Language*
Male
Nerve Net / anatomy & histology*
Nerve Net / diagnostic imaging
Neural Pathways / anatomy & histology
Neural Pathways / diagnostic imaging
Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology
Thinking / physiology*
White Matter / anatomy & histology*
White Matter / diagnostic imaging
Young Adult