图形创造性思维脑部机制的功能磁共振研究

采用现代认知神经科学手段研究创造性思维背后的神经机制已成为新的热点.大量疾病状态的研究提示正常人在从事创造性活动时可能存在一个左侧半球对右侧的抑制机制,对其去抑制可以导致图形创造力突然增加,然而这一假说尚无直接证据.对26名健康志愿者(15名女性,11名男性,平均年龄22岁)进行了磁共振扫描,在他们做图形想象任务时观察其脑部活动,研究发现:相对于非创造性图形想象,创造性任务激活了左侧前额叶(ROI分析,p=0.037),但与此同时右侧前额叶(ROI分析,p=0.007)及后部皮层区域(FWE校正,p<0.05)大量去激活.结果提示在图形创造性活动中,左侧前额叶可能抑制了右侧半球的活动,这一抑制的解除可以使右侧功能得以自由发挥而提高图形创造力.

A Study of the Neural Mechanism Underlying Figure Imagination with Magnetic Resonance

Creativity is a complex neuropsychological process,including coordination of multiple brain regions.Evidence from previous study has implied a left frontal lobe suppression mechanism.However,it has not been observed directly.In this study,we recruited 28 healthy non-expert young volunteers to investigate their brain activities underlying figural creative thinking.When the subjects were making comparison between creative and uncreative tasks,we found increased activities in the left frontal lobe(ROI analysis,p=0.037),along with significant deactivations in the right frontal lobe(ROI analysis,p=0.007) and posterior cortices(FWE corrected,p<0.05),which may suggest a top-down control mechanism.Our study completed a depiction on how figural creativity is organized in human brain.