Daijiworld Media Network - Boston

Boston, Feb 14: A groundbreaking study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham has identified a common brain circuit for creativity, shedding light on how brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases may enhance or impair creative abilities.

Published in JAMA Network Open, the study analysed fMRI data from 857 participants across 36 studies and found that various creative activities such as drawing, writing, and music-making activate different brain regions, all connected to a central circuit. Researchers discovered that reduced activity in the right frontal pole, a brain region responsible for monitoring and rule-based behaviours, could play a key role in fostering creativity.

“To be creative, you may have to turn off your inner critic, allowing new ideas to flow freely,” explained co-senior author Isaiah Kletenik, MD, from the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The findings could help explain why some neurological conditions lead to heightened creativity while others reduce it. Researchers believe this discovery may pave the way for brain stimulation therapies aimed at enhancing creativity.