简介大量研究已经证明了双语能力对创造力的好处。发散思维和聚合思维被认为是创造力的两个最重要的组成部分。各种（虽然不是全部）研究得出结论，双语儿童在发散思维方面优于单语儿童，但是，迄今为止，还没有针对儿童或青少年的研究探讨双语与聚合思维之间的关系，或双语与创造力相互作用的大脑结构基础. 本研究旨在基于神经心理学评估，探讨双语对儿童和青少年趋同和发散思维的影响，以及通过对儿童和青少年区域灰质体积 (rGMV) 和皮质厚度的全脑分析，双语对创造力影响的可能结构基础。方法92 从公共或私人招募 4-18 岁的健康儿童和青少年瑞士法语区的学校。收集了参与者的人口统计数据，包括性别、年龄、教育学、语言使用和父母的社会经济地位。大多数参与者都接受了发散思维、聚合思维和流动智力的神经心理学评估。分析了 75 名参与者的结构图像数据。基于体素的形态测量学 (VBM) 和基于表面的形态测量学 (SBM) 均经过处理，以分别执行 rGMV 和皮质厚度的分析。结果 结果表明，儿童和青少年的双语能力会带来趋同性思维而非发散性思维的好处。然而，这种双语优势似乎会随着发展而减弱。出乎意料的是，形态测量学和双语能力之间没有发现显着相关性。发散思维得分和聚合思维得分均未显示与 rGMV 有任何显着相关性。然而，全脑SBM显示右侧辅助运动区（SMA）的皮层厚度与聚合思维得分呈负相关，这表明聚合思维能力较高的儿童和青少年可能更薄，更成熟，更活跃右侧 SMA 的皮层。讨论双语和右侧 SMA 的皮层薄可能促进独立的聚合思维，
IntroductionNumerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of creativity from bilingualism. Divergent thinking and convergent thinking are considered the two most important components of creativity. Various (although not all) studies have concluded that bilingual children outperform monolingual children in divergent thinking, however, no study on children or adolescents so far has explored the relation between bilingualism and convergent thinking, or the brain structural basis of interaction between bilingualism and creativity. This study aimed to explore the impact of bilingualism on both convergent and divergent thinking in children and adolescents based on neuropsychological assessments, and the possible structural basis of the effect of bilingualism on creativity by a whole-brain analysis of regional gray matter volume (rGMV) and cortical thickness in children and adolescents.Methods92 healthy children and adolescents of age 4–18 were recruited from public or private schools in the French-speaking side of Switzerland. Demographic data of the participants were collected, including gender, age, pedagogy, usage of language, and parents’ socioeconomic status. Most of the participants underwent the neuropsychological assessments of divergent thinking, convergent thinking, and fluid intelligence. Structural image data of 75 participants were analyzed. Both voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and surface-based morphometry (SBM) were processed, to perform the analyses of rGMV and cortical thickness respectively.ResultsThe outcomes indicated that convergent thinking, but not divergent thinking benefits from bilingualism in children and adolescents. However, this bilingual advantage appears to weaken across development. Unexpectedly, no significant correlation between morphometry and bilingualism was found. Neither divergent thinking scores nor convergent thinking scores showed any significant correlation with rGMV. However, the whole brain SBM showed that the cortical thickness in the right supplementary motor area (SMA) was negatively correlated with convergent thinking scores, which suggested that the children and adolescents with higher convergent thinking abilities may have thinner, more mature, and more activated cortex in the right SMA.DiscussionBilingualism and cortical thinness in the right SMA might facilitate convergent thinking independently, by enhancing this selective ability.
