Posterior Beta and Anterior Gamma Oscillations Predict Cognitive Insight

Sheth, Bhavin R.; Sandkühler, Simone and Bhattacharya, Joydeep. 2009. Posterior Beta and Anterior Gamma Oscillations Predict Cognitive Insight. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 21(7), pp. 1269-1279. ISSN 0898-929X [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Pioneering neuroimaging studies on insight have revealed neural correlates of the emotional “Aha!” component of the insight process, but neural substrates of the cognitive component, such as problem restructuring (a key to transformative reasoning), remain a mystery. Here, multivariate electroencephalogram signals were recorded from human participants while they solved verbal puzzles that could create a small-scale experience of cognitive insight. Individuals responded as soon as they reached a solution and provided a rating of subjective insight. For unsolved puzzles, hints were provided after 60 to 90 sec. Spatio-temporal signatures of brain oscillations were analyzed using Morlet wavelet transform followed by exploratory parallel-factor analysis. A consistent reduction in beta power (15–25 Hz) was found over the parieto-occipital and centro-temporal electrode regions on all four conditions—(a) correct (vs. incorrect) solutions, (b) solutions without (vs. with) external hint, (c) successful (vs. unsuccessful) utilization of the external hint, and d) self-reported high (vs. low) insight. Gamma band (30–70 Hz) power was increased in right fronto-central and frontal electrode regions for conditions (a) and (c). The effects occurred several (up to 8) seconds before the behavioral response. Our findings indicate that insight is represented by distinct spectral, spatial, and temporal patterns of neural activity related to presolution cognitive processes that are intrinsic to the problem itself but not exclusively to one's subjective assessment of insight.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn.2009.21069

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology
Research Office > REF2014

Dates:

DateEvent
July 2009Published

Item ID:

4214

Date Deposited:

18 Oct 2010 10:33

Last Modified:

29 Apr 2020 15:29

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/4214

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