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Original Articles

Individual Differences in Brain Structure and Resting Brain Function Underlie Representation-Connection in Scientific Problem Solving

, , , , , , & show all
Pages 132-148 | Received 23 Nov 2018, Accepted 29 Mar 2019, Published online: 23 Jun 2019
 

Abstract

Evidence from a range of fields shows that representation-connection (RC) is the key step towards the solution of a real-world insight problem. However, no study has focused on the inter-individual variability in RC, and little is known about whether structural and resting-state functional signals can account for inter-individual differences in RC. Combining structural (regional grey matter density, rGMD) and functional (fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC)) analysis approaches was used to examine the neural substrates of RC. The results showed that the RC score was positively correlated with rGMD and fALFF values in the bilateral lingual gyrus (LG), which might be related to relevant visual imagery during the correct matching of a specific prototype with an unsolved technical problem and the retrieval and application of key information from prototypes. In addition, the RC score was negatively correlated with the rGMD in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and functional connectivity analysis revealed that a higher RC score was inversely correlated with the strength of the RSFC between the right LG and the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL), which indicated that RC might be supported by decreased response inhibition and the automatic association of semantics.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31470981; 31571137; 31500885; 31600878; 31771231), the National Outstanding Young People Plan, the Program for the Top Young Talents by Chongqing, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (SWU1509383, SWU1509451), the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (cstc2015jcyjA10106), the Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation (151023), the General Financial Grant from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2015M572423, 2015M580767), Special Funds from the Chongqing Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Xm2015037), and Key Research for Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education (14JJD880009); National Natural Science Foundation of China (CN) [31600878].

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