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Poster Session B: Wednesday, August 13, 1:00 – 4:00 pm, de Brug & E‑Hall

Human brain networks encode creativity state and level

Rikki Rabinovich¹, Mark Libowitz, Tyler S Davis¹, Rhiannon Cowan¹, Roger Beaty², Shervin Rahimpour, Elliot H Smith¹, Ben Shofty; ¹University of Utah, ²Pennsylvania State University

Presenter: Rikki Rabinovich

Creativity is an essential human cognitive process with an unclear neural basis. Here, we combine invasive intracranial recordings in the human brain with machine learning tools to explore the network-level representations underlying creative thinking. Our investigations unearthed widespread encoding of cognitive state, revealing unique brain states that underlie creative thinking vs. mathematical reasoning. Further, we identified nonlinear, high-dimensional representations of moment-by-moment creativity level. Finally, our findings hint at distinct roles of different cortical networks in promoting creativity, with default mode network “gating” creativity and dorsal attention network “regulating” the quality of creative output.

Topic Area: Brain Networks & Neural Dynamics

Extended Abstract: Full Text PDF