The molecular genetic basis of creativity: a mini review and perspectives.

Although creativity is one of the defining features of human species, it is just the beginning of an ambitious attempt for psychologists to understand its genetic basis. With ongoing efforts, great progress has been achieved in molecular genetic studies of creativity. In this mini review, we highlighted recent molecular genetic findings for both domain-general and domain-specific creativity, and provided some perspectives for future studies. It is expected that this work will provide an update on the knowledge regarding the molecular genetic basis of creativity, and contribute to the further development of this field.

Body mass index change in relation to longitudinal systolic blood pressure: An age- and sex-matched and repeated measures study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The positive association between mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and body mass index (BMI) diminished or reversed over the past four decades. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate effects of BMI change on longitudinal SBP. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 3638 participants who had annual health examination from 2015 to 2019 were included and matched by age and sex according to BMI levels. BMI and SBP were measured annually and their association were assessed by a linear mixed-effects regression model. The normal weight participants had a sustained weight gain as well as SBP increase during the study period (all Ptrend <0.001). The obese participants had a sustained weight loss but SBP did not decrease simultaneously. If BMI change was considered, the obese participants with BMI loss had a significant decrease of SBP during the study period (Ptrend = 0.0012). Mixed-effects models showed that weight gain was more influential on longitudinal SBP in the normal weight participants and weight loss was in the obese participants. The obese group with BMI loss had a decrease of SBP by 5.01 mmHg (95% confidence interval: 2.56 mmHg, 7.46 mmHg) compared to their counterparts with BMI maintenance from 2015 to 2019. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of weight change on longitudinal SBP was varied among BMI groups. With the increase of baseline BMI level, the positive effect of weight loss on SBP became greater and the negative effect of weight gain on SBP were attenuated.

The neurobiological basis of divergent thinking: Insight from gene co-expression network-based analysis.

Although many efforts have been made to explore the genetic basis of divergent thinking (DT), there is still a gap in the understanding of how these findings relate to the neurobiology of DT. In a combined sample of 1,682 Chinese participants, by integrating GWAS with previously identified brain-specific gene co-expression network modules, this study explored for the first time the functional brain-specific gene co-expression networks underlying DT. The results showed that gene co-expression network modules in anterior cingulate cortex, caudate, amygdala and substantia nigra were enriched with DT association signals. Further functional enrichment analysis showed that these DT-related gene co-expression network modules were enriched for key biological process and cellular component related to myelination, suggesting that cortical and sub-cortical grey matter myelination may serve as important neurobiological basis of DT. Although the underlying mechanisms need to be further refined, this exploratory study may provide new insight into the neurobiology of DT.

Relationships between Parenting Behaviors and Adolescents' Creativity in China: The Mediating Role of Autonomous Motivation.

This study used a two-wave, longitudinal design to examine the relationships between parenting behaviors (parental autonomy support, parental behavioral control, and parental psychological control) and Chinese adolescents' creativity, and the mechanism underlying the relationships. A total of 258 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 13.35, 48% girls) participated in the present study. The study measured the parenting behaviors received by the participants, their autonomous motivation, and creativity using the Parenting Scale, the Self-Regulatory Style Questionnaire-Academic, and the verbal and figural Divergent Thinking Tests, respectively. Structural equation models revealed that parental autonomy support and parental behavioral control had positive effects on Chinese adolescents' creativity one year later, whereas the relationship between parental psychological control and creativity one year later was not significant. In addition, parental autonomy support and parental behavioral control contributed to adolescents' creativity through the mediating effect of autonomous motivation. Findings from the present study help clarify developmental pathways linking parenting behaviors to adolescents' creativity in Chinese culture.

Distant Temporal Distance and Creative Thinking: The Mediating Role of Promotion Motivation.

The present study examined the effect of distant temporal distance on creative thinking and the underlying motivation mechanism. We tested our hypotheses in four studies. In Studies 1-4, participants in the distant temporal distance opposed to the proximal temporal distance performed better on a series of creative thinking tasks: the Verbal Divergent Thinking Test (Study 1), the Chinese Remote Associates Test (Study 2), the Toy Design Task (Study 3) and the Ad Evaluation Task (Study 4). Moreover, Studies 2 and 3 found that promotion motivation mediated the beneficial effect of distant temporal distance on the performance of the two creative thinking tasks. In conclusion, distant temporal distance facilitated creative thinking, and promotion motivation mediated this beneficial effect.

Development of Chinese Junior High School Students' Creative Potential: Within-Person and Between-Person Effects of Student-Student Support and Need for Cognition.

A longitudinal study was conducted to examine the developmental trend of creative potential in Chinese junior high school students and the within-person and between-person effects of student-student support and need for cognition. Two hundred and fourteen Chinese junior high school students participated in the present study (mean age = 13.29 years, SD = 0.49 years, 116 boys). Student-student support, need for cognition, and creative potential were measured once per year for 3 years. Longitudinal multilevel models indicated that (1) Chinese junior high school students' creative potential showed a downward trend from grades 7 to 9; (2) at the within-person level, time-varying student-student support positively predicted time-varying creative potential; (3) at the within-person level, time-varying need for cognition moderated the positive link between time-varying student-student support and time-varying creative potential; and (4) at the between-person level, no support was found for the links between student-student support, need for cognition, and creative potential. Specifically, average levels of student-student support neither significantly predicted initial levels and developmental rates of creative potential nor moderated the links between average levels of student-student and initial levels and developmental rates of creative potential. The findings highlight that at the within-person and between-person levels, student-student support and need for cognition have differential influences on Chinese junior school students' creative potential.

Paternal indifference and neglect in early life and creativity: Exploring the moderating role of TPH1 genotype and offspring gender.

For further understanding the joint contribution of environment, heredity and gender to creativity, the present research examined the prospective impact of paternal indifference & neglect in early life, TPH1 rs623580, offspring gender, and the interaction effects thereof on creativity in five hundred and thirty-nine unrelated healthy Chinese undergraduate students. Paternal indifference & neglect in early life was assessed on the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and creativity on the Runco Creativity Assessment Battery (rCAB). Two primary findings emerged. Firstly, significant paternal indifference & neglect × TPH1 genotype interaction effects were identified in predicting all three dimensions of creativity (fluency, originality, and flexibility). Paternal indifference & neglect in early life negatively predicted fluency, originality, and flexibility when individuals carry A allele of TPH1 (rs623580). Secondly, there was a significant interaction effect of TPH1 genotype by offspring gender on flexibility. Only in males, individuals who carry A allele were linked with lower level of flexibility compared to TT homozygote individuals. No significant three-way interaction was found. In conclusion, the current findings provided the first preliminary evidence for the moderation effect of TPH1 on the relationship between parenting and creativity, and TPH1- offspring gender interaction on creativity; future studies are needed to validate these findings.

Genetic susceptibility to parenting style: DRD2 and COMT influence creativity.

The present study systematically investigated if genetic variations in the DRD2 and COMT interacted with parenting style to predict individual differences in creativity. In a sample of young adults, we first examined the interaction of each individual polymorphism and parenting style on creativity. Then, we aggregated the contribution of these susceptibility polymorphisms into a Cumulative Genetic Score (CGS) which combines the plasticity conferred by two or more single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DRD2 and COMT into a single score. When polymorphisms were examined in isolation, the results indicated there were only two polymorphisms from COMT (rs5993882 and rs5993883), which were found to interact with mother authoritativeness to predict creativity. However, a CGS comprising of several potential susceptibility polymorphisms from DRD2 and COMT genes did indeed interact with parenting style to explain a significant amount of variance in the creativity. Furthermore, the analysis of regions of significance (Ros) showed supporting evidences for differential susceptibility model, such that the individuals with high CGS were more likely to be affected by their both negative and positive parenting style, demonstrating higher and lower creativity. These results further provide evidence for the involvement of dopaminergic genes in the relationship between parenting style and creativity and suggest individuals with the greater susceptibility are the ones who are more susceptible to environmental influences.

The Association Between Schizophrenia Risk Variants and Creativity in Healthy Han Chinese Subjects.

Although previous evidence has suggested that there is a genetic link between schizophrenia and creativity, the specific genetic variants that underlie the link are still largely unknown. To further explore the potential genetic link between schizophrenia and creativity, in a sample of 580 healthy Han Chinese subjects, this study aimed to (1) validate the role of Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) rs6994992 (one schizophrenia risk variant that has been previously linked to creativity in the European population) in the relationship between schizophrenia and creativity and (2) explore the associations between 10 other schizophrenia risk variants and creativity. For NRG1 rs6994992, the result validated its association with creativity measures. However, since NRG1 rs6994992 is not a schizophrenia risk variant in the Han Chinese population, the validated association suggested that ethnic difference may exist in the relationship between NRG1 rs6994992, schizophrenia and creativity. For other schizophrenia risk variants, the result only demonstrated a nominal association between ZNF536 rs2053079 and creativity measures which would not survive correction for multiple testing. No association between polygenic risk score for these 10 schizophrenia risk variants and creativity measures was observed. In conclusion, this study provides limited evidence for the associations between these schizophrenia risk variants and creativity in healthy Han Chinese subjects. Future studies are warranted to better understand the potential genetic link between schizophrenia and creativity.

No association of COMT with insight problem solving in Chinese college students.

Genes involved in dopamine (DA) neurotransmission, such as the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene (COMT), have been suggested as key genetic candidates that might underlie the genetic basis of insight. In a sample of Chinese college students, this study examined whether COMT was associated with individual differences in the ability to solve classic insight problems. The results demonstrated that COMT was not associated with insight problem solving and there was no gender-dependent effect. This study, together with previous studies, raises the possibility of a complex relationship between COMT and insight problem solving.

The Interaction of TPH1 A779C Polymorphism and Maternal Authoritarianism on Creative Potential.

Exploring the possible mechanisms through which gene may interact with environment to influence creativity has been one of the leading issues in creativity research. In a sample of four hundred and twenty-one Chinese undergraduate students, the present study investigated for the first time the interaction of TPH1 A779C polymorphism and maternal parenting styles on creative potential. The results showed that there was a significant interaction of TPH1 A779C polymorphism and maternal authoritarianism on creative potential. Moreover, the analysis of regions of significance (Ros) provided supporting evidences for both the diathesis-stress model (flexibility) and the differential susceptibility model (originality). These findings extend our understanding concerning the mechanisms by which gene and environment may act in coordination to contribute to creativity.

The Association of DRD2 with Insight Problem Solving.

Although the insight phenomenon has attracted great attention from psychologists, it is still largely unknown whether its variation in well-functioning human adults has a genetic basis. Several lines of evidence suggest that genes involved in dopamine (DA) transmission might be potential candidates. The present study explored for the first time the association of dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) with insight problem solving. Fifteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering DRD2 were genotyped in 425 unrelated healthy Chinese undergraduates, and were further tested for association with insight problem solving. Both single SNP and haplotype analysis revealed several associations of DRD2 SNPs and haplotypes with insight problem solving. In conclusion, the present study provides the first evidence for the involvement of DRD2 in insight problem solving, future studies are necessary to validate these findings.

Association of COMT and COMT-DRD2 interaction with creative potential.

Several lines of evidence suggest that genes involved in dopamine (DA) transmission may contribute to creativity. Among these genes, the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene (COMT) and the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) are the most promising candidates. Our previous study has revealed evidence for the involvement of DRD2 in creative potential. The present study extended our previous study by systematically exploring the association of COMT with creative potential as well as the interaction between COMT and DRD2. Twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering COMT were genotyped in 543 healthy Chinese college students whose creative potentials were assessed by divergent thinking tests. Single SNP analysis showed that rs174697 was nominally associated with verbal originality, two SNPs (rs737865 and rs5993883) were nominally associated with figural fluency, and two SNPs (rs737865 and rs4680) were nominally associated with figural originality. Haplotype analysis showed that, the TCT and CCT haplotype (rs737865-rs174675-rs5993882) were nominally associated with figural originality, and the TATGCAG and CGCGGGA haplotype (rs4646312-rs6269-rs4633-rs6267-rs4818-rs4680-rs769224) were nominally associated with figural originality and verbal flexibility, respectively. However, none of these nominal findings survived correction for multiple testing. Gene-gene interaction analysis identified one significant four-way interaction of rs174675 (COMT), rs174697 (COMT), rs1076560 (DRD2), and rs4436578 (DRD2) on verbal fluency, one significant four-way interaction of rs174675 (COMT), rs4818 (COMT), rs1076560 (DRD2), and rs4648317 (DRD2) on verbal flexibility, and one significant three-way interaction of rs5993883 (COMT), rs4648319 (DRD2), and rs4648317 (DRD2) on figural flexibility. In conclusion, the present study provides nominal evidence for the involvement of COMT in creative potential and suggests that DA related genes may act in coordination to contribute to creativity.

Effect of dissolved organic matter on sorption and desorption of phenanthrene onto black carbon.

Sorption and desorption of phenanthrene (PHE) onto black carbon (BC) extracted from sediments were studied in the presence of three types of dissolved organic matter (DOM), including L-phenylalanine (L-PH), peptone and citric acid. The nonlinearity of the sorption isotherms increased in the presence of DOM. The presence of L-PH reduced the sorption capacity and desorption hysteresis because of the solubilization of PHE in L-PH solution. Peptone at 50-500 mg/L also led to a decrease in sorption attributed to solubilization, although the sorbed peptone on the BC surface could slightly increase PHE sorption. Unlike L-PH and peptone, citric acid enhanced the sorption capacity and irreversibility of PHE on BC mainly due to the strong sorption of citric acid on the BC surface. Our results may help to understand the different impacts of DOM on the distribution and transport of PAH in the environment.

Effect of surfactants on sorption and desorption of phenanthrene onto black carbon.

Sorption and desorption of phenanthrene onto black carbon extracted from sediment were studied in the presence of a cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide [CTAB]), an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate [SDBS]), and a nonionic surfactant (Triton X-100 [TX100]), to examine the role of surfactants in sorption and desorption. Nonlinearity of the sorption isotherms increased in the presence of surfactants. The CTAB enhanced the sorption capacity and irreversibility of phenanthrene on black carbon. However, the presence of SDBS reduced the sorption capacity and desorption hysteresis. Unlike CTAB and SDBS, the influence of TX100 on sorption was concentration-dependent. Low levels of TX100 increased sorption, as a result of the sorption of TX100 on the black carbon surface. High levels of TX100 led to a decrease in sorption because of the solubilization of phenanthrene in TX100 solution. Our results may help to understand the different effects of surfactants on the distribution and transport of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the environment.

Effect of structural variations on sorption and desorption of phenanthrene by sediment organic matter.

Sorption and desorption isotherms of phenanthrene (PHE) on sediment organic matter (SOM) prepared at different combustion temperature were studied to examine the impact of SOM structure on sorption and desorption. With the increase of combustion temperature from 0 to 400°C, the aromatic groups (-CC) in SOM samples increased, while the aliphatic groups (-CH, -CH(2)) and polar structures (-C-O, -OH) decreased. When the combustion temperature increased to 500°C, aliphatic structures, polar structures and most aromatic structures were burnt out, and the mineral materials were dominant in the sample. The increase of combustion temperature decrease the sorption isotherm nonlinearity index n value, and enhanced the adsorption capacity and desorption hysteresis for PHE on SOM. However, higher n value, lower sorption capacity and sorption irreversibility were presented in the sample treated at 500°C (T500). Positive correlations between single-point organic carbon-normalized distribution coefficient log K(oc) values and aromatic carbon (p<0.01) and negative correlations between log K(oc) values and aliphaticity or H/C ratios (p<0.05) were observed. There was a negative relation between hysteresis index (HI) value and aromatic carbon (p<0.01) and a negative trend of the sorption isotherm nonlinearity index n values and aromatic carbon (p<0.01). The above results indicated the dominance of aromatic structures in the sorption nonlinearity, sorption capacity and desorption hysteresis of PHE on SOM.

Effect of combined Bacillus subtilis on the sorption of phenanthrene and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene onto mineral surfaces.

In the natural environment, minerals are often associated with coexisting microorganisms. These interactions have profound impacts on the fate of a wide variety of contaminants. However, little information is available on the sorption of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOC), such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated benzenes, onto the composites of minerals with bacteria, and knowledge of the influence of combined bacteria on HOC sorption to minerals is limited. In our study, sorption isotherms of phenanthrene (Phen) and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene (TCB) onto Bacillus subtilis, minerals (kaolinite, montmorillonite, and goethite), and mineral-B. subtilis composites were studied to determine the role of B. subtilis in sorption. For pure mineral systems, the order of Phen and TCB sorption affinity was montmorillonite > kaolinite > goethite. For mineral-B. subtilis composites, the trend was montmorillonite > goethite > kaolinite, consistent with that of their ability to combine with bacteria. The coating of B. subtilis with minerals enhanced the sorption due to the strong sorption of Phen and TCB onto B. subtilis cells and the increase of total organic carbon of minerals. With increasing B. subtilis concentration, sorption of Phen and TCB on pure B. subtilis cells decreased, but sorption on kaolinite surface increased. Sodium azide can greatly reduce sorption capacity but increases sorption linearity for B. subtilis and mineral-B. subtilis composites. Compared with TCB, Phen had higher sorption affinity due to its high hydrophobicity. Our results may be useful for understanding the role of bacteria in regulating the distribution and transport of HOCs in the environment.

Phenanthrene sorption to humic acids, humin, and black carbon in sediments from typical water systems in China.

Humic acid (HA) and humin (HM) were extracted with 0.1 M NaOH and black carbon (BC) was isolated using a combustion method at 375 degrees C from six sediments in different areas in China and their sorption isotherms for phenanthrene (Phen) were determined. All sorption isotherms were nonlinear and fitted well with the Freundlich model. Among the SOM, HM and BC with more aromatic carbon controlled the sorption nonlinearity and capacity. Compared to HM, higher K (oc) values were observed for BC due to the combustion of organic matter and native sorbates in HM. For HAs isotherms, a positive relation was observed between the K (oc) values and aliphaticity or H/C ratios, but a negative relation was shown between the n values and polarity of HAs. HA, HM, and BC were responsible for 0.4-9.3%, 46-97%, and 65-96% of the total sorption, respectively, indicating the dominance of HM and BC fractions in overall sorption of Phen by the sediments.

Hydrothermal-hydrolysis synthesis and photocatalytic properties of nano-TiO2 with an adjustable crystalline structure.

Tri-phase (anatase, rutile, and brookite), bi-phase (anatase and rutile), and mono-phase (rutile) TiO(2) nanomaterials with different morphologies were successively synthesized using a hydrothermal-hydrolysis method and adjusting the Ti(4+)/Ti(3+) molar ratio in a precursor solution. The properties of the fabricated nanomaterials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photocatalytic reaction, and other techniques. It has been shown that TiO(2) nanorods can be obtained by increasing the Ti(4+)/Ti(3+) molar ratio in a precursor solution from 1:0 to 0.3:0.7. TiO(2) nanoparticles are formed if the Ti(3+) fraction in the solution is further increased. The selective synthesis of TiO(2) nanomaterials is explained by a decrease in the reaction rate and by changes in acidity with increasing Ti(3+) content. The tri-phase nanorods and bi-phase nanoparticles synthesized with Ti(4+)/Ti(3+) molar ratios from 1:0 to 0.8:0.2 and 0.2:0.8 to 0:1, respectively, have a higher degradation ability with respect to methylene blue aqueous solutions under UV irradiation at ambient temperature compared to purely rutile TiO(2) nanorods synthesized with Ti(4+)/Ti(3+) molar ratios from 0.7:0.3 to 0.3:0.7. The high photocatalytic activity of the multi-phase TiO(2) samples is primarily attributed to their larger band gap and suppressed recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs.

Predicted models for phenanthrene sorption nonlinearity and capacity based on different HA/BC ratios in sediments.

Phenanthrene (Phen) sorption isotherms for synthetic sediment organic matter samples with nine different humic acid/black carbon (HA/BC) ratios were determined to provide predicted models for Phen sorption nonlinearity and affinity by sediments. The sorption data were fitted well by the Freundlich model. The nonlinear sorption of Phen was dominated by BC particles. According to BC/TOC content, Phen sorption nonlinearity can be predicted using the exponential model: n=0.410+0.454 *exp(-0.028 BC/TOC). As sorption is a combination of absorption into soft carbon and adsorption onto hard carbon, based on published K(HA), K(FBC), and n(bc) values and measured f(BC) and f(oc) values, Phen sorption affinity-related parameter K(oc) values can be predicted from the simplified dual sorption model: f(oc)K(oc) = (f(oc) - f(BC))K(HA) + f(BC)K(FBC)C(e)(n(bc) - 1). For sediments from the Song-Liao watershed (China), the exponential model and dual sorption model gave good predictions for n and K(oc) values, which support the availability of the two predicted models.