Abstract
Although the ability to draw is considered a basic ability, the cognitive process behind this simple ability is quite complex. Findings of previous fMRI studies have shown that different drawing methods involve many different cognitive activities. However, further investigations have revealed that not all the activated regions identified in fMRI scans during these drawing tasks are essential to the drawing process. Hence, the purpose of this study was to identify the fundamental neural activation required for drawing a simple circle from memory. Participants in this study were all right-handed and drew circles with an fMRI-compatible controller. The neural activation of thirty participants of the circle drawing task was analysed to identify regions of common neural activation. When compared to the resting state, drawing a simple circle from memory led to the activation of the inferior frontal gyrus (right hemisphere) and the precuneus, the insular cortex, and the cerebellum (left hemisphere). Given the simplicity of our task design, the results suggest these neural regions are fundamental for enabling an individual to draw simple shapes from memory. This finding implies that these activated regions should be the focus of future drawing studies and apraxia studies. Future investigations of these regions would help us further understand the cognitive process of drawing.