title: Genetic influences on insight problem solving: the role of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphisms.
abstract: People may experience an "aha" moment, when suddenly realizing a solution of a puzzling problem. This experience is called insight problem solving. Several findings suggest that catecholamine-related genes may contribute to insight problem solving, among which the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is the most promising candidate. The current study examined 753 healthy individuals to determine the associations between 7 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms on the COMT gene and insight problem-solving performance, while considering gender differences. The results showed that individuals carrying A allele of rs4680 or T allele of rs4633 scored significantly higher on insight problem-solving tasks, and the COMT gene rs5993883 combined with gender interacted with correct solutions of insight problems, specifically showing that this gene only influenced insight problem-solving performance in males. This study presents the first investigation of the genetic impact on insight problem solving and provides evidence that highlights the role that the COMT gene plays in insight problem solving.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Weili
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Siyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yanjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
keywords: COMT gene; catecholamines; creativity; gender differences; insight problem solving