EFFECT OF INCUBATION AND RESTING STATE NETWORKS

For decades in the psychology and history of science the phenomenon of incubation, defined as preparation of a solution during periods of relative rest, has been known but still has not received proper explanation. Our task in this study was to identify, basing on EEG data, the patterns of connectivity of resting state networks during the incubation period, which are associated with the success of solving problems in the post-incubation period. Subjects performed the remote associations test in three stages - the first attempt, incubation (listening irrelevant for solving the tasks audio recording), and the second attempt to solve unresolved problems. In subjects who after incubation solved at least one additional problem, the left sensorimotor cortex was stronger connected with the insula and weaker with the left dorsolateral cortex (frontal lobe) during the incubation period. These data are consistent with the view that, at the stage of solution finding, a combination of reduced activity of the central executive network (leading to defocusing of attention) and increased activity of the salience network (detection of salient solutions) is optimal.