Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Eurek-ahh!

Flashes of inspiration activate the brain's reward centre in some

18 May 2020

Eurek-ahh!

Finally cracking a mystery, finding your way out of an escape room, thinking of the good pun, all flashes of insight – A-ha! moments – that feel rewarding. For some, that reward comes not just from reflecting on an achievement, but straight away from the brain. Participants in a recent study solved puzzles while wearing this electroencephalography (EEG) cap, its electrodes loaded with a gel that will help to measure brain activity. The investigators watched as tell-tale patterns of brain activity matched flashes of insight or ‘Eureka! moments’. In some people, though, this was immediately followed by a second burst of activity in the brain’s reward system – the same brain area that fires up in response to pleasure or addictive substances. This may help to explain why some people are drawn to opportunities for Eureka! moments – and why discovery and creativity are such prominent human traits.

Written by John Ankers

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.