Creativity Emerges from Spontaneous Neural Activity

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"... Around 20 years ago, ... pioneered research into the phenomenon of spontaneously emerging resting-state fluctuations – very slow fluctuations of neuronal activity that occur subconsciously and that are distinguishable from the bursts of activity that occur when conscious events take place. ... while their brains were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Each time one of the participants came up with a creative idea, the researchers noted that the reporting of that idea was preceded by slow electrical activity that was highly reminiscent of slowly rising resting-state fluctuations. ... There was a significant correlation between the spontaneous, resting-state fluctuations and the slow activity that preceded the moment of a creative idea appearing. ..."

"These results suggest a common function of resting-state fluctuations as the neural mechanism underlying the generation of free and creative behaviors in the human cortex."

Creativity Emerges from Spontaneous Neural Activity Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science now propose an explanation for these mysterious moments of inspiration that pop up from the depths of our unconsciousness. The researchers ... found that spontaneous waves of brain activity – also called resting-state fluctuations – are the origins of this amazing, yet poorly understood, human ability; and they propose that these fluctuations are a universal mechanism underlying creativity.

Here is the prospective research article:

Resting-State Fluctuations Underlie Free and Creative Verbal Behaviors in the Human Brain | Cerebral Cortex | Oxford Academic