This study investigates the neural, genetic, and cognitive underpinnings of creativity, operationalized as divergent thinking (DT). Using fMRI data from two independent samples and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA), the researchers identified a brain activation pattern that predicts DT. This pattern was validated using cognitive decoding, genetic data, and large-scale resting-state fMRI. The findings reveal that DT involves a complex interplay of brain regions associated with diverse cognitive functions, with positive weights in the default mode and frontoparietal control networks and negative weights in the visual network. The study also links the DT pattern to dopamine-related neurotransmitters and genes influencing neurotransmitter release.

Cheng Liu, Kaixiang Zhuang, Daniel C. Zeitlen, Qunlin Chen, Xueyang Wang, Qiuyang Feng, Roger E. Beaty, Jiang Qiu