Abstract
Objective
Creativity is heavily dependent on divergent thinking and divergent thinking appears
to be strongly dependent on fontal lobe function. Since patients with Parkinson's
disease (PD) often have evidence of frontal lobe dysfunction we wanted to learn if
these patients have a reduction of creativity, as well as learning if the side of
onset (right versus left) influences the type (verbal versus visuospatial) of decrement
in creativity.
Design
Participants of this study were patients with right (RHO) or left (LHO) onset PD as
well as matched controls. All subjects were given the Abbreviated Torrance Test of
Creative Thinking for Adults (ATTA), a widely used test to assess creativity that
examines Fluency, Originality, Flexibility and Elaboration. Subjects were also assessed
with the Controlled Word Association Test (COWAT).
Results/conclusions
When compared to controls the patients with RHO, but not LHO, had a decrease of verbal
creative fluency. Patients with PD often have a decrease on the COWAT, but performance
on the COWAT did not differ between the RHO and the LHO patients. This suggests that
patients with PD who have RHO have a decrease in verbal creativity and this decrement
does not appear to be related to decreased fluency.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
September 23,
2008
Received in revised form:
September 19,
2008
Received:
June 9,
2008
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
