tFUS (Transcranial Focused Electrical Stimulation)
Investigating the role of specific cortical brain regions and functional brain networks in creative thinking and related cognitive processes using transcranial Focused Ultrasound Stimulation (tFUS)
Guiding Questions
What is the effect of tFUS on measures of reasoning and creativity?
How does stimulating specific brain networks with tFUS affect performance on creativity tasks?
How do individual differences in creativity-related neural hubs, as measured by tFUS stimulation, affect measures of creativity, and what does this reveal about the causal relationships within the creativity networks?
How are we studying this?
tFUS is a non-invasive technique that applies low-frequency focused ultrasound waves (ranging from 220 to 650 kHz) to the scalp to either excite or inhibit neuronal activity. Compared to other neuromodulation methods (e.g., tES and TMS), tFUS can modulate deep brain structures with better spatial focality. To enhance the precision of tFUS and to measure changes in neural activity, we will also use structural and functional MRI on participants. We will conduct creativity tasks after participants receive tFUS to determine how the changes in neural activity may enhance cognitive performance.