Creative experiences and brain clocks

Tools

Coronel-Oliveros, Carlos and Migeot, Joaquin and Lehue, Fernando and Amoruso, Lucia and Kowalczyk-Grębska, Natalia and Jakubowska, Natalia and Mandke, Kanad N. and Seabra, Joana Pereira and Orio, Patricio and Campbell, Dominic and Gonzalez-Gomez, Raul and Prado, Pavel and Cuadros, Jhosmary and Tagliazucchi, Enzo and Cruzat, Josephine and Legaz, Agustina and Medel, Vicente and Hernandez, Hernan and Fittipaldi, Sol and Altschuler, Florencia and Moguilner, Sebastian and Baez, Sandra and Santamaria-Garcia, Hernando and González-Hernández, Alfredis and Bonilla-Santos, Jasmin and Güntekin, Bahar and Babiloni, Claudio and Abasolo, Daniel and Di Caterina, Gaetano and Yener, Görsev G. and Escudero, Javier and Ochoa-Gómez, John Fredy and Soto-Añari, Marcio and Bruno, Martin A. and Valdes-Sosa, Pedro A. and Anghinah, Renato and Gonzalez-Montealegre, Rodrigo A. and Clark, Ruaridh A. and García, Adolfo M. and Kaltwasser, Laura and Schürmann, Martin and Meier, Jil M. and Brzezicka, Aneta and Whelan, Robert and Lawlor, Brian and Robertson, Ian H. and Bailey, Christopher and Melloni, Lucia and Sajnani, Nisha and Ibanez, Agustin (2025) Creative experiences and brain clocks. Nature Communications, 16. 8336. ISSN 2041-1723 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64173-9)

[thumbnail of Coronel-Oliveros-etal-2025-Creative-experiences-and-brain-clocks]
Preview
 Text. Filename: Coronel-Oliveros-etal-2025-Creative-experiences-and-brain-clocks.pdf
Final Published Version
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 logo
Download (3MB)| Preview

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.

ORCID iDs

Coronel-Oliveros, Carlos, Migeot, Joaquin, Lehue, Fernando, Amoruso, Lucia, Kowalczyk-Grębska, Natalia, Jakubowska, Natalia, Mandke, Kanad N., Seabra, Joana Pereira, Orio, Patricio, Campbell, Dominic, Gonzalez-Gomez, Raul, Prado, Pavel, Cuadros, Jhosmary, Tagliazucchi, Enzo, Cruzat, Josephine, Legaz, Agustina, Medel, Vicente, Hernandez, Hernan, Fittipaldi, Sol, Altschuler, Florencia, Moguilner, Sebastian, Baez, Sandra, Santamaria-Garcia, Hernando, González-Hernández, Alfredis, Bonilla-Santos, Jasmin, Güntekin, Bahar, Babiloni, Claudio, Abasolo, Daniel, Di Caterina, Gaetano ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7256-0897, Yener, Görsev G., Escudero, Javier, Ochoa-Gómez, John Fredy, Soto-Añari, Marcio, Bruno, Martin A., Valdes-Sosa, Pedro A., Anghinah, Renato, Gonzalez-Montealegre, Rodrigo A., Clark, Ruaridh A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4601-2085, García, Adolfo M., Kaltwasser, Laura, Schürmann, Martin, Meier, Jil M., Brzezicka, Aneta, Whelan, Robert, Lawlor, Brian, Robertson, Ian H., Bailey, Christopher, Melloni, Lucia, Sajnani, Nisha and Ibanez, Agustin;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)