Noradrenergic modulation of cognitive flexibility in problem solving

Beversdorf, David Q.; Hughes, John D.; Steinberg, B.A.; Lewis, Lindsay; Heilman, Kenneth M.

doi:10.1097/00001756-199909090-00012

Cited by 138 publications

(134 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…However, the results of the present study are consistent with those of many behavioral studies that have demonstrated facilitative effects of positive moods on insight task performance with different affect induction procedures (e.g., watching positive films, giving small gifts, listening to positive music, and generating positive thoughts; Isen et al, 1987;Rowe et al, 2007). In past studies, researchers have also reported that negative moods impair cognitive flexibility, employing different affect induction procedures (e.g., baseline negative mood states; situational stressors; Alexander et al, 2007;Beversdorf et al, 1999;Subramaniam et al, 2009). In addition, in Study 2, we found that the brief viewing of positive images induced greater activity in MPFC, whose activity is known to be enhanced by sustained positive mood states during insight tasks (Subramaniam et al, 2009).…”

Section: Valence Versus Arousal Effectssupporting

confidence: 91%

Effects of the brief viewing of emotional stimuli on understanding of insight solutions

Sakaki

Niki

2011

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

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In the present study, we examined whether and how brief viewing of positive and negative images influences subsequent understanding of solutions to insight problems. For each trial, participants were first presented with an insight problem and then briefly viewed a taskirrelevant positive, negative, or neutral image (660 ms), which was followed by the solution to the problem. In our behavioral study (Study 1), participants were faster to report that they understood the solutions following positive images, and were slower to report it following negative images. A subsequent fMRI study (Study 2) revealed enhanced activity in the angular gyrus and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) while viewing solutions following positive, as compared with negative, images. In addition, greater activation of the angular gyrus was associated with more rapid understanding of the solutions. These results suggest that brief viewing of positive images enhances activity in the angular gyrus and MPFC, which results in facilitation of understanding solutions to insight problems.

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Section: Valence Versus Arousal Effectssupporting

confidence: 91%

Effects of the brief viewing of emotional stimuli on understanding of insight solutions

Sakaki

Niki

2011

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

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“…One study investigated the direct effects of noradrenergic changes during creative problem solving by administering either an agonist (ephedrine) or an antagonist (propranolol) to subjects while they solved each of three cognitive tasks: number series problems, shape rearrangement tasks, and anagram word arrangement tasks. For subjects who were able to solve the problems, response time was lower in the group that received propranolol compared to the groups that received either ephedrine or placebo [37]. An important implication of this study is that the effect of propranolol was seen with the anagram task, and not with the tasks that required less cognitive flexibility.…”

Section: Endogenous and Exogenous Changes In Ne Levels Modulate Creatmentioning

confidence: 68%

Psychoses and creativity: is the missing link a biological mechanism related to phospholipids turnover?

Folley

Doop

Park

2003

Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids

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Recent evidence suggests that genetic and biochemical factors associated with psychoses may also provide an increased propensity to think creatively. The evolutionary theories linking brain growth and diet to the appearance of creative endeavors have been made recently, but they lack a direct link to research on the biological correlates of divergent and creative thought. Expanding upon Horrobin's theory that changes in brain size and in neural microconnectivity came about as a result of changes in dietary fat and phospholipid incorporation of highly unsaturated fatty acids, we propose a theory relating phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) activity to the neuromodulatory effects of the noradrenergic system. This theory offers probable links between attention, divergent thinking, and arousal through a mechanism that emphasizes optimal individual functioning of the PLA 2 and NE systems as they interact with structural and biochemical states of the brain. We hope that this theory will stimulate new research in the neural basis of creativity and its connection to psychoses.

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“…Understanding the effects of pharmacological manipulation on semantic networks may have implications ranging from language perception (Angwin et al, 2004;Kischka et al, 1996) to problem solving (Beversdorf et al, 1999;Beversdorf et al, 2002;Silver et al, 2004). This may also reveal insight into the impairments exhibited by some patient populations (Arnott et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional connectivity in an fMRI study of semantic and phonological processes and the effect of l-Dopa

Tivarus¹,

Hillier²,

Schmalbrock³

et al. 2008

Brain and Language

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We describe an fMRI experiment examining the functional connectivity (FC) between regions of the brain associated with semantic and phonological processing. We wished to explore whether L-Dopa administration affects the interaction between language network components in semantic and phonological categorization tasks, as revealed by FC. We hypothesized that L-Dopa would decrease FC due to restriction of the semantic network. During two test sessions (placebo and L-Dopa) each participant performed two fMRI runs, involving phonological and semantic processing. A number of brain regions commonly activated by the two tasks were chosen: left inferior frontal, left posterior temporal and left fusiform gyri, and left parietal cortex. FC was calculated and further analyzed for effects of either the drug or task. No drug effect was found. A significant main effect for task was found, with a greater average correlation for the phonological task than for the semantic task. These findings suggest that language areas are activated in a more synchronous manner for phonological tasks than for semantic tasks. This may relate to the fact that phonological tasks are mediated to a greater extent within language areas, whereas semantic tasks likely require greater interaction outside of the language areas. Alternatively, this may be due to differences in the attentional requirements of the two tasks.

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Noradrenergic modulation of cognitive flexibility in problem solving

Cited by 138 publications

References 21 publications

Effects of the brief viewing of emotional stimuli on understanding of insight solutions

Effects of the brief viewing of emotional stimuli on understanding of insight solutions

Psychoses and creativity: is the missing link a biological mechanism related to phospholipids turnover?

Functional connectivity in an fMRI study of semantic and phonological processes and the effect of l-Dopa

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