Sleep and quiet wakefulness signify an idling brain hub for creative insights

Long-term potentiation of synaptic strength is fundamental to learning and memory. Memories are thought to be stored within specific neuronal populations (engrams) that are reactivated during sleep to consolidate stored information. Crucially, sleep and offline reactivations are linked not only to past experiences but also to anticipation of future events. During offline reactivation in sleep and quiet wakefulness, the brain can form novel links across diverse past experiences, creating qualitatively new information not initially available. This offline activity—termed the idling brain—is posited to abstract essential information, distill rules, and fuel creative ideas and insights. This review summarizes current research and future directions on how sleep and idling brain activity support cognitive functions, especially creative insights, with implications for information processing, decision-making and effective navigation of complex situations in daily life.

Mostafa R. Fayed, Khaled Ghandour, Kaoru Inokuchi