On the neurobiology of creativity. Differences in frontal activity betweenhigh and low creative subjects

The aim was to investigate the relationship between creativity and hemisphe ric asymmetry, as measured by regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Two grou ps, each consisting of 12 healthy male subjects, who got either very high o r low scores on a creativity test, were pre-selected for the rCBF investiga tion. rCBF was measured during rest and three verbal tasks: automatic speec h (Auto), word fluency (FAS) and uses of objects (Brick). State and trait a nxiety inventories were answered after the rCBF measurements. Intelligence tests were also administered. It was predicted that highly creative subject s would show a bilateral frontal activation on the divergent thinking task (Brick), while low creative subjects were expected to have a unilateral inc rease. Calculations were made of differences in blood flow levels between t he FAS and the Brick measurements in the anterior prefrontal, frontotempora l and superior frontal regions. In accordance with our prediction, repeated measure-ANOVAs showed that the creativity groups differed significantly in all three regions. The highly creative group had increases, or unchanged a ctivity, while the low creative group had mainly decreases. The highly crea tive group had higher trait anxiety than the low creative group. On the int elligence tests the low creative group was superior both on logical-inducti ve ability and on perceptual speed, while the groups ere equal on verbal an d spatial tests. The results are discussed in terms of complementary functi ons of the hemispheres. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.