Neural correlates of experimentally induced flow experiences

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 86; pp. 194 - 202
• Main Authors: Ulrich, Martin, Keller, Johannes, Hoenig, Klaus, Waller, Christiane, Grön, Georg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.02.2014; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Amygdala; Arousal - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping - methods; Cognition - physiology; Computer & video games; Experiments; Flow experience; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Intrinsic motivation; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Mathematics; Medical imaging; Motivation - physiology; MPFC; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Perfusion imaging; Problem Solving - physiology; Skills; Studies; Task Performance and Analysis; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Young Adult; rCBF; Intrinsic motivation; B; DMN; MPFC; Amygdala; MRI; CNR; F; CASL; MNI; IFG; FoV; Flow experience; AMY; O; SPM; TE; R; Perfusion imaging; ANOVA; TR; BA; EPI; Imaging; Central nervous system; Basal ganglion; Encephalon; Statistical Parametric Mapping; Boredom (experimental condition); Inferior frontal gyrus; Medial prefrontal cortex; Contrast-to-noise ratio; Overload (experimental condition); Flow (experimental condition); Default-mode network; Rest (experimental condition); Field of view; Echo-planar imaging; Repetition time; Brodmann area; Montreal Neurological Institute; Magnetic resonance imaging; Echo time; Continuous arterial spin labeling; Regional cerebral blood flow; Analysis of variance

Flow refers to a positive, activity-associated, subjective experience under conditions of a perceived fit between skills and task demands. Using functional magnetic resonance perfusion imaging, we investigated the neural correlates of flow in a sample of 27 human subjects. Experimentally, in the flo...