Creativity & The BrainEE 101

University of Kentucky

• fMRI is the principle new tool beingused to understand what creativity lookslike at a neuronal level

• fMRI vs MRI– Both are non-invasive imaging tools

based on principles of atomic physics

– MRI is used to image anatomical structures

– fMRI is used to image metabolic function (e.g., blood flow, blood oxygen content)

• Neuroscientists use fMRI to see what is going on inside our heads under various conditions– Physical correlates of consciousness

fMRI

• Advantages– Non-invasive– No radiation– High resolution– Easy to use, no

discomfort• Technical details (MRI)– Strong magnet (~3 Tesla, 5E4 times stronger than Earth’s

field) causes nuclei to align, creating a signal that can be measured when field is switched

– The signal properties depend on the material; fMRI measures water

MRI

• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging– Detects changes in blood oxygen

content and flow that result from neural activity

– Active areas use more oxygen and require more blood flow

– fMRI can be used to produce activation maps showing which parts of the brain are being used in particular mental tasks (cool!)

fMRI

• How does fMRI work?– Oxygen is delivered to brain cells via

hemoglobin in red blood cells– Hemoglobin is diagmagnetic (-) when

oxygenated, paramagnetic (+) when deoxygenated

– This differences cases small differences in the MRI signal for blood with high vs low oxygen content

– Since blood oxygen content is related to activity level, these signal differences can be used to infer the level of activity in different parts of the brain

– This form of fMRI is known as blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) imaging

fMRI

• Charles Limb– Professor, Head & Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins

• Dr. Limb has been using fMRI to study differences in brain activity in musicians for two different tasks:– Performing memorized pieces (a convergent

process)– Improvising new pieces (divergent process)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkRJG510CKo

Your Brain on Improv

• Charles Limb: Your Brain on Improv (summary)– fMRI images oxygen usage in brain (used to infer activity)– “Science of Innovation” is in its infancy

• Will flourish for next 20-30 years• Currently, many more q’s than answers

– Compared brain activity differences during memorized vs. improvised musical performances

– Creativity requires shutting down part of the brain (removes inhibition) while others remain active• “We think, to be creative you have to dissociate two areas of the frontal cortex--

activating one and deactivating another” – C. Limb• Medial prefrontal cortical activity increases• Lateral prefrontal cortical activity decreases• “Rather than operating in accordance with conscious strategies and expectations,

musical improvisation may be associated with behaviors that conform to rules implemented by the MPFC outside of conscious awareness. Indeed, in other domains it has been shown that focused attention and conscious self-monitoring can inhibit spontaneity and impair performance.” – C. Limb

Summary of Limb’s Talk

• Taken from interview with Dr. Limb:

Quotes from Dr. Limb

(cont’d)