Creative experiences and brain clocks

Creative experiences may enhance brain health, yet metrics and mechanisms remain elusive. We characterized brain health using brain clocks, which capture deviations from chronological age (i.e., accelerated or delayed brain aging). We combined M/EEG functional connectivity (N = 1,240) with machine learning support vector machines, whole-brain modeling, and Neurosynth metanalyses. From this framework, we reanalyzed previously published datasets of expert and matched non-expert participants in dance, music, visual arts, and video games, along with a pre/post-learning study (N = 232). We found delayed brain age across all domains and scalable effects (expertise>learning). The higher the level of expertise and performance, the greater the delay in brain age. Age-vulnerable brain hubs showed increased connectivity linked to creativity, particularly in areas related to expertise and creative experiences. Neurosynth analysis and computational modeling revealed plasticity-driven increases in brain efficiency and biophysical coupling, in creativity-specific delayed brain aging. Findings indicate a domain‑independent link between creativity and brain health.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-10-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64173-9
Citations
8
Primary Topic
Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
11.45

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article

Creative experiences and brain clocks

Kanad Mandke, Carlos Coronel‐Oliveros, Pedro A. Valdés‐Sosa, Gaetano Di Caterina et al.
8 citations
Nature Communications
Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
11.45
article

Creative experiences and brain clocks

Kanad Mandke, Carlos Coronel‐Oliveros, Pedro A. Valdés‐Sosa, Gaetano Di Caterina, Agustín M. Ibáñez, Natalia Kowalczyk‐Grębska, Sandra Báez, Renato Anghinah, Lucía Melloni, Vicente Medel, John Fredy Ochoa-Gómez, Claudio Babiloni, Lucía Amoruso, Sebastián Moguilner, Joana Pereira Seabra, Jasmin Bonilla‐Santos, Hernando A Santamaría‐García, Joaquín Migeot, Sol Fittipaldi, Christopher M. Bailey, Martin Schürmann, Rodrigo A. Gonzalez‐Montealegre, Patricio Orio, Pavel Prado, Agustina Legaz, Robert Whelan, Raúl González-Gómez, Aneta Brzezicka, Florencia Altschuler, Enzo Tagliazucchi, Javier Escudero, Nisha L. Sajnani, Martín A. Bruno, Marcio Soto‐Añari, Hernán Hernandez, Bahar Güntekin, Ruaridh Clark, BRIAN A. LAWLOR, Daniel Abásolo, Josephine Cruzat, Jhosmary Cuadros, Dominic Campbell, Görsev Yener, Ian H. Robertson, Alfredis González‐Hernández, J. Meier, Laura Kaltwasser, Adolfo M. García, Natalia Jakubowska, Fernando Lehue
article en
8 citations

Abstract

Creative experiences may enhance brain health, yet metrics and mechanisms remain elusive. We characterized brain health using brain clocks, which capture deviations from chronological age (i.e., accelerated or delayed brain aging). We combined M/EEG functional connectivity (N = 1,240) with machine learning support vector machines, whole-brain modeling, and Neurosynth metanalyses. From this framework, we reanalyzed previously published datasets of expert and matched non-expert participants in dance, music, visual arts, and video games, along with a pre/post-learning study (N = 232). We found delayed brain age across all domains and scalable effects (expertise>learning). The higher the level of expertise and performance, the greater the delay in brain age. Age-vulnerable brain hubs showed increased connectivity linked to creativity, particularly in areas related to expertise and creative experiences. Neurosynth analysis and computational modeling revealed plasticity-driven increases in brain efficiency and biophysical coupling, in creativity-specific delayed brain aging. Findings indicate a domain‑independent link between creativity and brain health.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
Universidad de Santiago de Chile (CL), Ikerbasque (ES), Universidad Nacional Experimental del Táchira (VE), Izmir University (TR), Harvard University (US), University of Nottingham (GB), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (CN), İzmir University of Economics (TR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (AR), Universidad de Los Andes (CO), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), University of Strathclyde (GB), Università degli studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale (IT), Dokuz Eylül University (TR), Trinity College Dublin (IE), Adolfo Ibáñez University (CL), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (CO), University of Cambridge (GB), Cuban Neuroscience Center (CU), University of Surrey (GB), San Sebastián University (CL), Istanbul Medipol University (TR), Universidad de Antioquia (CO), Uniwersytet SWPS (PL), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE), University of San Andrés (AR), Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (DE), Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (ES), World Health Organization (CH), Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva (AR), Universidad Católica de Cuyo (AR), Universidad Católica San Pablo (PE), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE), Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia (CO), Hospital Universitario San Ignacio (CO), Global Brain Health Institute (US), New York University (US), Federico Santa María Technical University (CL), Universidad Surcolombiana (CO), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE), University of Valparaíso (CL), Sapienza University of Rome (IT), New York College of Health Professions (US), Ruhr University Bochum (DE), University of Edinburgh (GB)
Alzheimer's Association, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center, Fondo de Financiamiento de Centros de Investigación en Áreas Prioritarias
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
11.45
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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