TY - GEN
T1 - Functional network analysis of insight in resting-state brain activity
AU - Hu, Meng
AU - Kounios, John
AU - Beeman, Mark
AU - Liang, Hualou
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Insight occurs when problem solutions arise suddenly and is associated with an "Aha!" experience. While much research on insight has focused on event-related, goal-directed neural responses, there is growing interest in the spontaneous, resting-state brain activity. A recent study using high-density electroencephalograms (EEG) has demonstrated a dependence of task-related processing on the preceding resting state, but based on the power spectrum of individual electrodes in different frequency bands. In the current study, we sought to test the influence of resting-state functional networks on subsequent problem-solving strategy. We examined healthy subjects at rest who were subsequently directed to solve a series of anagrams to assess resting-state EEG network activity, as measured by coherence and Granger causality. Subjects were divided into two groups based on the proportion of anagram solutions derived with self-reported sudden insight versus analytic search. In this work, we mainly focused on gamma-band (30-40 Hz) activity, as it has been predominantly implicated in a wide variety of cognitive processes, and more importantly associated with insight solutions. Coherence analysis revealed that, within the gamma frequency band, there was a large-scale distributed resting-state network over the right hemisphere, with a network hub centering at the right anterior temporal lobe, for sudden insight relative to analytic search. Further analysis of the observed network with Granger causality indicated that there is a significant directional influence, originated from the network hub at the right anterior temporal lobe. These findings indicate that the spatial focus of the insight effect is at the right anterior temporal lobe, a result consistent with the hypothesis of right-lateralized hemispheric asymmetry.
AB - Insight occurs when problem solutions arise suddenly and is associated with an "Aha!" experience. While much research on insight has focused on event-related, goal-directed neural responses, there is growing interest in the spontaneous, resting-state brain activity. A recent study using high-density electroencephalograms (EEG) has demonstrated a dependence of task-related processing on the preceding resting state, but based on the power spectrum of individual electrodes in different frequency bands. In the current study, we sought to test the influence of resting-state functional networks on subsequent problem-solving strategy. We examined healthy subjects at rest who were subsequently directed to solve a series of anagrams to assess resting-state EEG network activity, as measured by coherence and Granger causality. Subjects were divided into two groups based on the proportion of anagram solutions derived with self-reported sudden insight versus analytic search. In this work, we mainly focused on gamma-band (30-40 Hz) activity, as it has been predominantly implicated in a wide variety of cognitive processes, and more importantly associated with insight solutions. Coherence analysis revealed that, within the gamma frequency band, there was a large-scale distributed resting-state network over the right hemisphere, with a network hub centering at the right anterior temporal lobe, for sudden insight relative to analytic search. Further analysis of the observed network with Granger causality indicated that there is a significant directional influence, originated from the network hub at the right anterior temporal lobe. These findings indicate that the spatial focus of the insight effect is at the right anterior temporal lobe, a result consistent with the hypothesis of right-lateralized hemispheric asymmetry.
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U2 - 10.1109/IWACI.2011.6160043
DO - 10.1109/IWACI.2011.6160043
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84858781273
SN - 9781612843735
T3 - Proceedings of 4th International Workshop on Advanced Computational Intelligence, IWACI 2011
SP - 421
EP - 425
BT - Proceedings of 4th International Workshop on Advanced Computational Intelligence, IWACI 2011
T2 - 4th International Workshop on Advanced Computational Intelligence, IWACI 2011
Y2 - 19 October 2011 through 21 October 2011
ER -