Cortical activity in the human electroencephalogram alpha band was measured (by means of an event-related approach) in a pre- and a post-test (with intermediate training) while participants (n = 30) were confronted with divergent thinking tasks. Half of the participants received a divergent thinking training (over a time period of 2 weeks) which was composed of exercises structurally similar to those used in the pre- and post-test. Analyses revealed that the training group displayed higher task-related synchronization of frontal alpha activity (i.e. increases in alpha power from the pre-stimulus reference to the activation interval) than the control group. These findings are in line with the view of frontal alpha synchronization as a selective top-down inhibition process that prevents internal or top-down information processing being disturbed by incoming external input.
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Appl Nurs Res
February 2025
Institute of Community Health Care, College of Nursing, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, King's College London, UK. Electronic address:
Aim: Compare the convergent and divergent viewpoints of early-stage postoperative patients with glioblastoma and their caregivers on end-of-life care planning in Taiwan.
Background: Decision-making capacity in patients with glioblastoma may be compromised as disease progresses, making early future care planning essential to ensure that the provided care aligns with patients' goals. However, within many Asian cultures, the tendency to avoid discussions about death can lead patients to feel hesitant about addressing end-of-life care options.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa.
Antarctic environments are dominated by microorganisms, which are vulnerable to viral infection. Although several studies have investigated the phylogenetic repertoire of bacteria and viruses in these poly-extreme environments with freezing temperatures, high ultra violet irradiation levels, low moisture availability and hyper-oligotrophy, the evolutionary mechanisms governing microbial immunity remain poorly understood. Using genome-resolved metagenomics, we test the hypothesis that Antarctic poly-extreme high-latitude microbiomes harbour diverse adaptive immune systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Biol
January 2025
Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
Creativity is hypothesized to arise from a mental state which balances spontaneous thought and cognitive control, corresponding to functional connectivity between the brain's Default Mode (DMN) and Executive Control (ECN) Networks. Here, we conduct a large-scale, multi-center examination of this hypothesis. Employing a meta-analytic network neuroscience approach, we analyze resting-state fMRI and creative task performance across 10 independent samples from Austria, Canada, China, Japan, and the United States (N = 2433)-constituting the largest and most ethnically diverse creativity neuroscience study to date.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Immersion in nature has been linked to wide-ranging benefits on mental health and cognitive functions, from reducing stress to enhancing creativity. However, a walk in nature is not always feasible, and whether a proxy for nature immersion via a mental walk in nature can elicit the same benefits as a physical walk remains largely unknown. Accordingly, the current study utilized guided imagery to examine whether a mental walk in nature would improve creativity in general and when compared to a mental walk in an urban environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Psychopathol Clin Sci
January 2025
Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London.
There has been longstanding speculation that enhanced creativity is associated with autism. Evidence for this association, however, is limited and derived from small-scale studies in nonclinical samples. Furthermore, nothing is known about autism-related creativity after accounting for general cognitive ability and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), that is, other factors known to predict creativity.
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