Neural correlates of metacontrol persistence and flexibility induced by creativity and meditation.
Weitao Zhang, Zsuzsika Sjoerds, Rebecca Mourits, Bernhard Hommel
Cerebral Cortex October 2, 2025 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaf200 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Remote associates task Alternative uses task Focused-attention meditation Open-monitoring meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | MRI Creativity Metacontrol |
| Key findings | Persistence and flexibility metacontrol states activate distinct brain networks, with persistence engaging prefrontal-striatal regions and flexibility engaging default mode network areas, though this pattern was clearer for creativity tasks than meditation. |
Abstract
The neural mechanisms underlying the cognitive metacontrol states of persistence and flexibility are not yet fully understood but are thought to be modulated by frontal and striatal dopamine, respectively. In this study, we attempted to induce persistence and flexibility states by having participants engage in 2 creativity tasks (remote associates task and alternative uses task) and 2 meditation techniques (focused-attention meditation and open-monitoring meditation), to study the neural correlates of these metacontrol states and test the metacontrol model of creativity (MCC). Results show that brain areas known to be modulated by both frontal and striatal dopamine were activated in conditions that are thought to call for persistence, particularly the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and basal ganglia, indicating goal-related selective attention and top-down control. In contrast, conditions that call for flexibility showed brain activation in areas of the default mode network, suggesting reduced top-down control. This pattern was much clearer for the creativity tasks than meditation. Notably, we did not find significant effects when contrasting the 2 meditation techniques and when looking at brain activation overlap between meditation and creativity at the whole-brain level. Finally, the examination of the MCC provided partial supporting evidence for the model, but its prediction for the left inferior frontal gyrus showed the exact opposite result, which calls for clarification in future research.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 10
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis Neuron May 10, 2023
- Focused attention, open monitoring and loving kindness meditation: effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity – A review Frontiers in Psychology September 23, 2014
- From many to (n)one: Meditation and the plasticity of the predictive mind. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2021
- Exploring the effect of microdosing psychedelics on creativity in an open-label natural setting Psychopharmacology October 24, 2018
and 5 more in the library