A groundbreaking study using AI-powered 'brain clocks' shows that creative activities—especially complex ones like tango dancing—strengthen neural connections and significantly slow brain aging. Musicians, artists, and gamers also demonstrated younger-looking brains, with expertise correlating to greater anti-aging effects.
The intricate steps of the tango aren't just captivating—they might be rewiring brains to resist aging. A multinational study published in Nature Communications reveals how creative pursuits like dancing, music, art, and gaming strengthen neural connections and slow cognitive decline, quantified using innovative AI models called brain clocks.
The Science of Brain Age Gaps
Researchers led by neuroscientist Agustín Ibáñez at Adolfo Ibáñez University built machine-learning models that analyze functional connectivity—how brain regions collaborate—to predict a person's 'brain age' from neuroimaging data. Applying these clocks to 232 practitioners of tango, music, visual arts, and gaming revealed a striking trend: their brains appeared younger than their chronological age.
{{IMAGE:2}} Caption: The tango’s demanding mix of movement, coordination, and planning may make it particularly effective for maintaining brain youth (Credit: Tempura/Getty).
Complexity Matters: Tango Leads the Pack
All activities conferred benefits, but tango dancers showed the most dramatic results. Expert dancers had brains 7 years younger on average than their actual age. Ibáñez attributes this to tango's cognitive demands:
"Tango’s cognitively demanding mix of complex movement sequences, coordination and planning makes it a particularly good activity for keeping the brain young."
Skill level intensified the effect across all domains. Notably, even beginners gained anti-aging benefits, suggesting it's never too late to start.
Targeting Vulnerable Brain Regions
The study mapped effects across the brain, finding the strongest impact in the frontoparietal network—critical for working memory, decision-making, and highly susceptible to age-related decline. Experienced participants showed reinforced connections in areas governing movement, rhythm, and coordination, indicating activity-specific neural reinforcement.
Why This Matters for Tech and Neuroscience
- Validating AI Biomarkers: The brain clocks demonstrate AI's potential to quantify subtle neurological changes, offering tools for tracking cognitive health interventions.
- Neuroplasticity Insights: Findings underscore that sustained, complex skill-building—akin to mastering a programming language or system architecture—can physically reshape aging brains.
- Beyond Pharmaceuticals: This highlights non-pharmacological pathways for maintaining cognitive resilience, relevant to developers designing brain-health apps or VR training systems.
The research, accessible via Nature Communications, suggests that engaging deeply with challenging creative or technical skills isn't just fulfilling—it's a tangible investment in our neurological future.
Source: Coronel-Oliveros, C. et al. Nature Commun. 16, 8336 (2025).
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