Functional neuroanatomy and logical process of creation of 3D virtual imaging

In this study, we used 1.5 T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore that which brain areas contribute to creative imagination. The BOLD effect activation of creative imagination task was compared with plane figure task response. The experiment demonstrated on sixteen right-handed volunteers performed both of tasks during echo-planar (EPI) fMRI. During the creative imagination task, we found the activations in both cerebrums of superior, inferior parietal lobule (including precuneus), superior, middle frontal gyrus, and anterior, posterior lobe (including culmen, declive) of cerebellum, and the activations in left temporal lobe (including fusiform gyrus), right postcentral gyrus was also found during creative imagination task. However, in the plane figure task, the activations were discerned in inferior occipital lobe, right middle occipital gyrus, and both cerebrum of parietal lobe. The activation at the left parietal lobule suggested a logical analysis of creation and library searching or memory retrievals operation in creative imagination, and the activation at the right parietal lobule suggested that 3D image creation need the assistance of spatial cognition, such as spatial memory and making a spatial judgment. The activations in both cerebrums of frontal gyrus showed a working memory location. In addition, activations of cerebellum may showed an operation of changing position face to the 3D virtual imaging that built up.