A Neurofeedback Study of Default-Executive Network Coupling and Creativity

Poster Session E - Monday, April 15, 2024, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Simone Luchini¹ (skl5875@psu.edu), Xinbing Zhang², Michael Lührs³, Michal Ramot⁴, Roger Beaty¹; ¹Penn State University, ²University of Minnesota, ³Maastricht University, ⁴Weizmann Institute of Science

Increased functional connectivity between the default mode and executive control networks has been linked to creativity. Yet, whether default and executive network interaction may causally improve creative abilities remains unclear. In an ongoing neurofeedback study using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), participants are assigned to either a default-executive coupling or default-motor coupling condition, then complete a verbal creative thinking task, a go/no-go task, and a neurofeedback task. In the default-executive coupling condition, neurofeedback is directed towards increasing functional coupling between the default and executive networks. In the default-motor condition, functional coupling is entrained between two control regions. Both groups complete two sessions that take place on consecutive days. On day 1, participants provide a baseline of their task performance, then take part in a neurofeedback task. On day 2 the participants then complete another iteration of the creative thinking and go/no-go tasks. In this way, we can examine within- and between-person differences. In a preliminary sample, we observe neural coupling differences between participants in the default-executive (n = 7) and default-motor (n = 7) conditions trending towards significance in the hypothesized direction (p = .16 one-tailed). Additionally, we observe preliminary evidence suggesting that individuals in the default-executive condition demonstrate an improvement to their creative abilities on day 2 (M = 0.08), compared to the default-motor condition (M = -0.09; p = .1 one-tailed), aligning with initial hypotheses. These initial findings trend as expected and provide early signals that will be further examined with the full sample (n = 40).

Topic Area: THINKING: Problem solving