Recent functional imaging findings in humans indicate that creativity relies on spontaneous and controlled processes, possibly supported by the default mode and the fronto-parietal control networks, respectively. Here, we examined the ability to generate and combine remote semantic associations, in relation to creative abilities, in patients with focal frontal lesions. Voxel-based lesion-deficit mapping, disconnection-deficit mapping and network-based lesion-deficit approaches revealed critical prefrontal nodes and connections for distinct mechanisms related to creative cognition. Damage to the right medial prefrontal region, or its potential disrupting effect on the default mode network, affected the ability to generate remote ideas, likely by altering the organization of semantic associations. Damage to the left rostrolateral prefrontal region and its connections, or its potential disrupting effect on the left fronto-parietal control network, spared the ability to generate remote ideas but impaired the ability to appropriately combine remote ideas. Hence, the current findings suggest that damage to specific nodes within the default mode and fronto-parietal control networks led to a critical loss of verbal creative abilities by altering distinct cognitive mechanisms.

中文翻译：

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两个关键的大脑网络，用于生成和组合远程关联

人类最近的功能成像发现表明，创造力依赖于自发和受控的过程，可能分别由默认模式和额顶控制网络支持。在这里，我们检查了在局灶性额叶病变患者中与创造力相关的生成和组合远程语义关联的能力。基于体素的病变缺损映射，断开连接缺损映射和基于网络的病变缺损方法揭示了关键的前额叶节点和与创造性认知相关的不同机制的连接。正确的内侧前额叶区域的损坏，或对默认模式网络的潜在破坏作用，可能影响了产生远程想法的能力，这可能是通过改变语义关联的组织来实现的。左侧肩外侧前额叶区域及其连接的损坏，或对左侧额顶控制网络的潜在破坏作用，使产生远程想法的能力丧失了，但削弱了适当组合远程想法的能力。因此，目前的发现表明，默认模式和额顶控制网络内特定节点的损坏通过改变不同的认知机制而导致言语创造力的严重丧失。