TY - JOUR

T1 - Figural Creative Task Sculpts the Baseline Resting-State EEG in Older Adults: A Pilot Study

AU - Privodnova, E. Yu

AU - Volf, N. V.

N1 - Funding Information: The study was supported by budgetary funding for basic scientific research (theme No. АААА-А21-121011990039-2, EEG recording), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Government of the Novosibirsk region (project no. 19-415-543 009, analysis of EEG data, writing a draft). Publisher Copyright: © 2021, Pleiades Publishing, Inc.

PY - 2021/9

Y1 - 2021/9

N2 - Creative activity has a neuroprotective effect in later life. One of the key factors that contribute to this inspiring effect is cognitive stimulation via creative ideation. The underlying neuronal mechanism is task-induced neuroplasticity, which may manifest itself as post-task changes in the brain activity in the areas involved in task execution. Two main types of creativity, verbal and figural, relying on visual–spatial and semantic processes, respectively, show different trajectories of age-related changes. In order to identify, which type of creative tasks leaves more pronounced post-task traces in the resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in older adults, we recorded EEG in 29 mentally healthy elderly (64 ± 6 years) subjects before, during, and after the performance of 30 verbal and 30 figural tasks. Current source density (CSD) estimates and subsequent statistical contrasts using statistical nonparametric mapping were calculated with LORETA. The CSD increased from the pre-task to post-task interval in the Δ–γ rhythms, most prominently in parietal–occipital areas (regions of interest, ROIs). The CSD increase was also induced during figural (but not verbal) task performance. In comparison with figural tasks, topographically undifferentiated CSD decrease was identified in post-task activity suggesting preservation of the pattern originated during figural task performance in the post-task EEG in a less pronounced form. Additionally, multiple positive correlations between EEG activity during figural task performance and the post-task interval within ROIs were found. The results indicate that a figural creative task leaves more pronounced post-task traces than a verbal task, which suggests that figural tasks are promising for further study as cognitive training for older adults.

AB - Creative activity has a neuroprotective effect in later life. One of the key factors that contribute to this inspiring effect is cognitive stimulation via creative ideation. The underlying neuronal mechanism is task-induced neuroplasticity, which may manifest itself as post-task changes in the brain activity in the areas involved in task execution. Two main types of creativity, verbal and figural, relying on visual–spatial and semantic processes, respectively, show different trajectories of age-related changes. In order to identify, which type of creative tasks leaves more pronounced post-task traces in the resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in older adults, we recorded EEG in 29 mentally healthy elderly (64 ± 6 years) subjects before, during, and after the performance of 30 verbal and 30 figural tasks. Current source density (CSD) estimates and subsequent statistical contrasts using statistical nonparametric mapping were calculated with LORETA. The CSD increased from the pre-task to post-task interval in the Δ–γ rhythms, most prominently in parietal–occipital areas (regions of interest, ROIs). The CSD increase was also induced during figural (but not verbal) task performance. In comparison with figural tasks, topographically undifferentiated CSD decrease was identified in post-task activity suggesting preservation of the pattern originated during figural task performance in the post-task EEG in a less pronounced form. Additionally, multiple positive correlations between EEG activity during figural task performance and the post-task interval within ROIs were found. The results indicate that a figural creative task leaves more pronounced post-task traces than a verbal task, which suggests that figural tasks are promising for further study as cognitive training for older adults.

KW - aging

KW - divergent thinking

KW - EEG

KW - figural creativity

KW - post-task traces

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120995918&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/7e953fef-ce79-39a3-8545-b139a8bdd285/

U2 - 10.1134/S0362119721020122

DO - 10.1134/S0362119721020122

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85120995918

VL - 47

SP - 498

EP - 505

JO - Human Physiology

JF - Human Physiology

SN - 0362-1197

IS - 5

M1 - 3

ER -