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Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) enable movement-independent information transfer from humans to computers. Decoding imagined 3D objects from electroencephalography (EEG) may improve design ideation in engineering design or image reconstruction from EEG for application in brain-computer interfaces, neuro-prosthetics, and cognitive neuroscience research. Object-imagery decoding studies, to date, predominantly employ functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and do not provide real-time feedback. We present four linked studies in a study series to investigate: (1) whether five imagined 3D primitive objects (sphere, cone, pyramid, cylinder, and cube) could be decoded from EEG; and (2) the influence of real-time feedback on decoding accuracy. Studies 1 (N = 10) and 2 (N = 3) involved a single-session and a multi-session design, respectively, without real-time feedback. Studies 3 (N = 2) and 4 (N = 4) involved multiple sessions, without and with real-time feedback. The four studies involved 69 sessions in total of which 26 sessions were online with real-time feedback (15,480 trials for offline and at least 6,840 trials for online sessions in total). We demonstrate that decoding accuracy over multiple sessions improves significantly with biased feedback (p = 0.004), compared to performance without feedback. This is the first study to show the effect of real-time feedback on the performance of primitive object-imagery BCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In product design engineering, ideation involves producing ideas for new products that fulfil functional requirements. Ideation is associated with activity in multiple regions across the brain. However, knowledge about how these regions interact is limited. In an fMRI study of professional product design engineers (n = 30), we examined neural regions activated during ideation compared with three control conditions (rest, working memory and visuospatial processing). Using Psychophysiological Interactions analysis, we identified increased functional connectivity between five regions of interest and other areas. This included functional coupling between regions of the executive control and salience networks, and the default mode and visual networks. Connectivity between the lingual gyrus and cerebellum also suggests an interplay of visual and motor imagery during ideation. • Design ideation activates the pre-frontal, visual and motor cortex. • Ideation also engages default mode regions involved in semantic/episodic memory. • Executive control and salience networks show increased connectivity during ideation. • Several networks show enhanced coupling with the visual cortex during ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The generation of creative visual imagery contributes to technological and scientific innovation and production of visual art. The underlying cognitive and neural processes are, however, poorly understood. Methods This review synthesizes functional neuroimaging studies of visual creativity. Seven functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI) and 19 electroencephalography ( EEG) studies were included, comprising 27 experiments and around 800 participants. Results Activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of the fMRI studies comparing visual creativity to non-rest control tasks yielded significant clusters in thalamus, left fusiform gyrus, and right middle and inferior frontal gyri. The EEG studies revealed a tendency for decreased alpha power during visual creativity compared to baseline, but comparisons of visual creativity to non-rest control tasks revealed inconsistent findings. Conclusions The findings are consistent with suggested contributions to visual creativity of prefrontally mediated inhibition, evaluation, and working memory, as well as visual imagery processes. Findings are discussed in relation to prominent theories of the neural basis of creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]