Poor creativity in frontotemporal dementia: a window into the neural bases of the creative mind.
BACKGROUND
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) supports functions critical for creative thinking. Damage to the PFC is expected to impair creativity. Yet, previous works suggested the emergence of artistic talent in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), which was interpreted as increased creativity.


OBJECTIVE
We designed a study in patients with frontal variant (fv) of FTLD in order to verify whether: (1) creativity is impaired after frontal degeneration, (2) poor creativity is associated with frontal dysfunctions, and (3) poor creativity is related to hypoperfusion in specific PFC regions.


METHODS
Three groups of subjects were enrolled in the study: fvFTLD patients (n=17), non-demented Parkinson's disease (PD) patients (n=12) and healthy controls (n=17). Participants performed a standardized test of creativity, the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) and tests assessing frontal functions. Brain perfusion was correlated to fvFTLD patients' performance in the TTCT.


RESULTS
Patients with fvFTLD were strongly impaired in all dimensions of the TTCT, compared to PD patients and controls. Disinhibited and perseverative responses were observed only in fvFTLD patients, leading to "pseudo-creative" responses. Poor creativity was positively correlated with several frontal tests. Poor creativity was also correlated with prefrontal hypoperfusion, particularly in the frontal pole.


CONCLUSIONS
Poor creativity is associated with fvFTLD. The results also suggest that the integrity of the PFC (in particular frontopolar) is strongly associated with creative thinking. The emergence of artistic talent in patients with fvFTLD is explained by the release of involuntary behaviors, rather than by the development of creative thinking.
de Souza
Leonardo Cruz
LC
Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, UMR-S975, Paris, France.
Volle
Emmanuelle
E
Bertoux
Maxime
M
Czernecki
Virginie
V
Funkiewiez
Aurélie
A
Allali
Gilles
G
Leroy
Baptiste
B
Sarazin
Marie
M
Habert
Marie-Odile
MO
Dubois
Bruno
B
Kas
Aurélie
A
Levy
Richard
R
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003405:Creativity; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests