Studies have shown that dopamine plays a crucial role in personality. It plays an important role in the human information processing. DeYoung call dopamine "the neuromodulator of exploration" because it is involved in different motivational and cognitive processes (Boot, Baas & van Gaal et al., 2017). It unifies these diverse processes, which include the dopaminergic axons extending to different regions of the cortex, thalamus, amygdala, and striatum; and the dopaminergic neurons originating in various sites within the midbrain (de Rooij, Corr & Jones, 2017). The different functions carried out in the dopaminergic system provides the need for exploration of the function of dopamine in the creative process. The release of dopamine within the dopaminergic system intensifies the motivation for exploration and promotes behavioral and cognitive processes that are significant in exploration (Oleynick, Thrash & LeFew et al., 2015).
Creative thinking has become a significant topic in the cognitive neuroscience in the recent years as shown by evidence in the increase publications on the topic of traditionally neuroscience and cognitive journals. Various studies have revealed the involvement of dopamine in the creative process (Dietrich & Haider, 2017). Dopamine acts as a neuromodulator, which is a moderately small groups of dopaminergic neurons found in the midbrain and extends to the axons through to the basal ganglia, the medial temporal lobe, and the frontal cortex. Once in the basal ganglia, the dopamine releases influences that role of the local neuronal populations (Takeuchi, Tomita & Taki et al, 2015).
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Evidence suggests that dopamine is a major neurotransmitter that works in the brain. After influencing the function of the neuronal populations in the brain, it helps to improve the working of the memory. The levels of dopamine secretions in prefrontal cortex is very delicate such that any slight decreases or increases to the normal amount might cause suffering in the memory (Faust‐Socher, Kenett & Cohen et al., 2014). Since dopamine has impact on the memory, it also plays a role in the process of learning and retaining information (Zabelina, Colzato, Beeman & Hommel, 2016). Therefore, dopamine plays a significant role in the creative process by influencing the working of the brain, the learning process, and retention of information.
References
Boot, N., Baas, M., van Gaal, S., Cools, R., & De Dreu, C. K. (2017). Creative cognition and dopaminergic modulation of fronto-striatal networks: Integrative review and research agenda. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews , 78 , 13-23.
Dietrich, A., & Haider, H. (2017). A neurocognitive framework for human creative thought. Frontiers in psychology , 7 , 2078.
De Rooij, A., Corr, P. J., & Jones, S. (2017, June). Creativity and Emotion: Enhancing Creative Thinking by the Manipulation of Computational Feedback to Determine Emotional Intensity. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM SIGCHI Conference on Creativity and Cognition (pp. 148-157). ACM.
Faust‐Socher, A., Kenett, Y. N., Cohen, O. S., Hassin‐Baer, S., & Inzelberg, R. (2014). Enhanced creative thinking under dopaminergic therapy in Parkinson disease. Annals of neurology , 75 (6), 935-942.
Takeuchi, H., Tomita, H., Taki, Y., Kikuchi, Y., Ono, C., Yu, Z., ... & Miyauchi, C. M. (2015). The associations among the dopamine D2 receptor Taq1, emotional intelligence, creative potential measured by divergent thinking, and motivational state and these associations' sex differences. Frontiers in psychology , 6 , 912.
Oleynick, V. C., Thrash, T. M., LeFew, M. C., Moldovan, E. G., & Kieffaber, P. D. (2014). The scientific study of inspiration in the creative process: challenges and opportunities. Frontiers in human neuroscience , 8 , 436.
Zabelina, D. L., Colzato, L., Beeman, M., & Hommel, B. (2016). Dopamine and the creative mind: individual differences in creativity are predicted by interactions between dopamine genes DAT and COMT. PloS one , 11 (1), e0146768.
