לוח שנה משולב

Free behavior is likely the most fundamental and essential aspect of human life. It underlies our unique ability to self-generate actions and come up with creative and original solutions. Yet, the brain mechanism that drives such free and creative behaviors remains unknown. In my talk I will present experimental findings supporting the hypothesis that ultra-slow spontaneous (resting state) activity fluctuations are a central and ubiquitous mechanism underlying all types of free behavior. Traces of slow resting state fluctuations can account for the intriguing observation that free behaviors of all types- from generating names to free recall of visual images- are invariably preceded by a wave of slow (1-4 seconds) activity buildup. This buildup can be observed in BOLD-fMRI, intracranial recording of single neurons and more recently, in the massive hippocampal bursts called Sharp Wave Ripples. Could the similar slow dynamics of the spontaneous fluctuations and the anticipatory buildup preceding free behaviors be a mere coincidence? Crucially, I will present evidence that individual differences in the waveforms of spontaneous fluctuations measured during are significantly correlated to the shape of the buildup wave anticipating free and creative events. The critical role of spontaneous activity fluctuations in generating creative decisions is reminiscent of the use of stochastic noise in optimizing solutions in network models.