Scientists at the Mind Research Network (MRN) are able to predict aspects of creativity by measuring quantities of certain molecules in the brain. This same technique can be used to predict cognitive function decline in mental illness and brain disease.
Photo: Rex Jung, MRN research scientist and assistant professor, Department of Neurosurgery, UNM
“Differences in the creative process of a ‘normal’ human brain could ultimately show us how these functional differences affect brain disease, treatment and delivery,” said Rex Jung, research scientist at MRN and assistant professor, Department of Neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico.
Jung conducted the studies with a 2008 research grant from the John Templeton Foundation for “The Neuroscience of Creativity.” The first report of the MRN study is published in the April 22 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience .
Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, Jung and his colleagues say their research demonstrates how biochemical mechanisms can influence creativity in the human brain. Fifty-six college-aged students were studied. Dr. Jung and his team discovered that a particular brain chemical, N-acetylaspartate (NAA), predicted creativity differently in people with higher levels of intelligence as compared to those with average intelligence.
“The key to unlocking brain disease is directed by understand normal brain function, and we feel fluctuating chemistry could lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of dementia and other neurological and psychiatric disorders,” Dr. Jung added.
The Mind Research Network is dedicated to the discovery and advancement of clinical solutions for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and other brain disorders. Headquartered in Albuquerque, MRN consists of in-house scientists working in collaboration with Harvard, Yale, MIT, the University of Minnesota, the University of New Mexico and other research centers across the nation. For more information visit: Mind Research Network.
Media Contact: Lisa Breeden, (505) 272-5028
Posted by scarr at April 24, 2009 03:32 PM