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Enhancing creativity by altering the frontoparietal control network functioning using transcranial direct current stimulation

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Abstract

The left angular gyrus (AG), part of the frontotemporal network, is implicated in creative thinking, including verbal creativity tasks such as novel metaphor generation. The current study tested the effects of tDCS over the left AG on two metaphor generation tasks. The study was a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover study of anodal vs. cathodal stimulation by tDCS. Compared to sham, cathodal stimulation resulted in significantly increased novel metaphor generation, while anodal stimulation increased conventional metaphor generation. Higher motivation (behavioral approach system’s “fun-seeking”) was associated with greater metaphor creativity in the sham condition, and lower fun seeking was associated with producing a greater quantity of conventional metaphors. Following active stimulation, motivation traits no longer contributed to creative metaphor generation. Thus, the beneficial effect of cathodal tDCS over the left AG in generation of novel metaphors is through restraining the control network. The current study gives a glimpse into the neural basis for creative thinking.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Lotem Ilani and Gal Eliyahu for their contribution in collecting and analyzing the data. We would also like to thank Shira Chana Bienstock for her thorough editorial review of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication Disorders, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ariel University, Kiryat Hamada, 40700, Ariel, Israel

    Adi Lifshitz-Ben-Basat

  2. School of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

    Nira Mashal

  3. Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

    Nira Mashal

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  1. Adi Lifshitz-Ben-Basat
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  2. Nira Mashal
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Correspondence to Adi Lifshitz-Ben-Basat.

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Communicated by Melvyn A. Goodale.

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Lifshitz-Ben-Basat, A., Mashal, N. Enhancing creativity by altering the frontoparietal control network functioning using transcranial direct current stimulation. Exp Brain Res 239, 613–626 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-020-06023-2

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