Changes in resting-state functional connectivity between large-scale brain networks after an intensive arts intervention for adolescents with depression

Emerging data support the benefits of creative arts interventions for addressing depression in adolescents, but the neural mechanisms are poorly understood. This study examined changes in connectivity among large-scale brain networks implicated in both depression and creativity, before and after an arts intervention for adolescents with depression. Thirty-nine adolescents with depression completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans before and after completing a two-week arts intervention called Creativity Camp. To approximate a “waitlist” control, half the sample also completed scanning 2 weeks before camp. Using a graph theory approach, we calculated the strength of connectivity between four networks at the “nexus” of mood and creativity: Default, Control, Salience, and Limbic. For these between-network connection strength indices, we (1) measured pre- to post-camp changes across the whole sample; (2) compared changes during waitlist versus during camp for the rest of the sample; and (3) explored correlations between changes in connectivity and changes in depression. In the whole sample, the strength of connectivity between three network pairs increased significantly from pre- to post-camp: Default–Control, Limbic–Control, and Salience–Default (all p < 0.05, corrected). The waitlist control comparison revealed that pre-to-post camp changes were greater than those observed during the waitlist for two of these network pairs (uncorrected). Connectivity changes did not significantly correlate with changes in depressive symptoms. Intensive engagement in creative arts may contribute to increases in connections between large-scale neural networks that are implicated in both mood and creative thinking. Future research is needed with larger samples using randomized control trials to further understand how creative arts engagement confers its mental health benefits for adolescents.