Creating Well-Being: Increased Creativity and proNGF Decrease following Quadrato Motor Training.

Sabrina Venditti,Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan,Loredana Verdone,Caterina Pesce,Nicoletta Tocci,Micaela Caserta

doi:10.1155/2015/275062

Abstract

Mind-body practices (MBP) are known to induce electrophysiological and morphological changes, whereas reports related to changes of neurotrophins are surprisingly scarce. Consequently, in the current paper, we focused on the Quadrato motor training (QMT), a newly developed whole-body movement-based MBP, which has been reported to enhance creativity. Here we report the effects of 4 weeks of daily QMT on creativity and proNGF level in two interrelated studies. In Study A, we examined the effects of QMT compared with a walking training (WT) in healthy adults, utilizing the alternate uses task. In contrast with the WT, QMT resulted in increased creativity. In addition, the change in creativity negatively correlated with the change in proNGF levels. In Study B, we examined QMT effects on creativity and additional metacognitive functions in children, using a nonintervention group as control. Similar to Study A, following QMT, we found a negative correlation of proNGF with creativity, as well as working memory updating and planning ability. Together, the current results point to the relationship between increased creativity and decreased proNGF following MBP. Thus, the current research emphasizes the importance of widening the scope of examination of “MBP in motion” in relation to metacognition and well-being.

Highlights

Creativity is considered important both for personal wellbeing and social growth [1]
The results of the univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) performed on postintervention fluency values with pre-intervention fluency values as covariates yield a significant effect only for the pre-intervention score entered as covariate (F(1, 17) = 56.71, P < 0.001), with post-training being generally higher compared to pre-training in both intervention groups (Figure 1(a))
The results of the ANOVA performed on post-intervention flexibility values with pre-intervention flexibility values as covariates yield a significant effect for group (F(1, 16) = 6.72, MSE = 1.6, and P < 0.05) and for the pre-intervention score entered as covariate (F(1, 16) = 9.75, P < 0.01)

Summary

Introduction

Creativity is considered important both for personal wellbeing and social growth [1]. It is an important function through which we can cope with significant challenges in our environments in novel and appropriate ways [2]. Research examining the effect of whole-body movement-based mind-body practices (MBP) on creativity is lacking, and the current report is intended to start filling this gap. To this aim we examined the Quadrato motor training (QMT), a whole-body movement practice, which has been recently found to increase creativity and emotional well-being [10, 11]. A single session of QMT was found to improve spatial cognition and reflectivity [12] in contrast to two different control groups controlling separately for cognitive and motor load

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Conclusion