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S087-4

Neurophysiological Basis of Creativity in Healthy Elderly People Using Nonlinear
Approach

Kanji Ueno

Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medical Science, University of Fukui, Japan

Background/Objective: Creativity, which presumably involves various connections within and
across different neural networks, reportedly underpins the mental well-being of older adults.
However, studies that have investigated the neurophysiological bases for creativity, particularly
addressing elderly subjects, have rarely been reported. Considering that creativity is assumed to
involve various connections within and across different neural subsystems in the brain, the output
EEG signals from these complex neural networks must be characterized with different time scales or
frequencies. Multiscale entropy (MSE) can characterize the complexity inherent in EEG dynamics
with multiple temporal scales. We sought to clarify the neurophysiological bases of creativity in
healthy elderly subjects by assessing EEG complexity with MSE, with emphasis on assessment of
neural networks.

Method: We recorded resting state EEG of 20 healthy elderly subjects. MSE was calculated for each
subject for continuous 20-s epochs. Their relevance to individual creativity was examined.

Result: Higher individual creativity was linked closely to increased EEG complexity across higher
temporal scales.

Conclusion: The changes in EEG complexity with ECT might be a result of amelioration of
functional connectivity in the brain of mental disorders. Multiscale entropy analysis might be a
useful analytical method to elucidate neurophysiological mechanisms and evaluate the therapeutic
efficacy of ECT.