Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33063472›Full record

ArticleBrain and behavior2020

Intact microstructure of the right corticostriatal pathway predicts creative ability in healthy adults.

Farzaneh Rahmani, Hossein Sanjari Moghaddam, Mohammad Hadi Aarabi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain and behavior, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Creativity: a (white) matter of connectivity.Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) · 2026
    Article
  2. The white matter of Aha! moments.BMC psychology · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Farzaneh RahmaniDepartment of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0530-2054
Hossein Sanjari MoghaddamFaculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Hadi AarabiFaculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID 0000-0002-5550-9782

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionCreativity is one of the most complex functions of the human brain. The corticostriatal pathways have been implicated in creative thinking, yet few studies have addressed the microstructural underpinnings of creative ability, especially those related to the corticostriatal dopaminergic circuitry. We hypothesized that performance in creativity tests can be predicted based on diffusion metrics of the corticostriatal pathways and basal ganglia.

methodsA total of 37 healthy adults were included. Neuropsychological tests of creativity, including the alternative uses task (AUT), test of creative imagery abilities (TCIA), remote associates test (RAT), and creative achievement questionnaire (CAQ), as well as diffusion MRI data were acquired for each participant.

resultsWe demonstrated an independent effect of TCIA originality and TCIA transformativeness subscores, and RAT score in predicting the mean diffusivity (MD), mean axial diffusivity (AD), mean fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean generalized FA of the right corticostriatal pathway. We also observed independent effects of AUT elaboration subscore in predicting the AD of the right substantia nigra, and radial diffusivity (RD) of the right globus pallidus.

conclusionOur results put a further spin on the "creative right brain" notion and question the presence of high-creative and low-creative networks in the brain.

Indexed as

BrainCreativityAdultAnisotropyDiffusion Magnetic Resonance ImagingHumansSubstantia Nigracorticostriatal pathwaycreativitydiffusion MRIdiffusion-weighted imaging

Identifiers

PMID33063472
PMCPMC7749564

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.