Engaging in musical activities may potentially decelerate brain aging, claims research scientists, even for those individuals who are already advanced in age.
In a series of groundbreaking studies, the impact of playing a musical instrument on brain health in older adulthood has been highlighted. These studies suggest that musical activities could potentially protect against dementia and delay age-related cognitive decline.
One study, published in PLOS Biology, compared 65-year-old adults who had played instruments for over 30 years with non-musicians. The results were striking: older musicians' brains responded to speech-in-noise challenges similarly to younger adults' brains. In contrast, non-musicians showed signs of cognitive decline, relying more on the left brain hemisphere, which indicates compensatory strain. Older musicians, on the other hand, used strong connections in the right hemisphere, reflecting more efficient brain function.
Another longitudinal study, published in Imaging Neuroscience, found that older adults who continued to play musical instruments over four years maintained better verbal working memory and showed less gray matter volume loss in specific brain regions (right putamen) compared to those who stopped playing. Increased activity in bilateral cerebellums was also noted among continued players. This suggests that ongoing musical practice can prevent or postpone cognitive decline even when started in old age.
The benefits of long-term musical training extend beyond speech perception. It has been shown to enhance cognitive reserve, helping older adults better perceive speech and mitigate decline. This supports the cognitive reserve theory that intellectually engaging activities, such as learning and practicing an instrument, delay age-related brain decline and maintain more youthful brain activity patterns.
Beyond active playing, music therapy—which activates brain areas responsible for memory, emotion, and motor control—has been shown to improve cognitive functions like memory, attention, and processing speed in seniors, including those with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's. It also promotes relaxation, mood enhancement, and reduced anxiety, contributing to overall quality of life and possibly supporting brain health indirectly.
Dr. Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, associate professor of ageing at the University of Copenhagen, emphasised that while brain training can potentially improve brain health, the data is not always clear. However, he expressed hope that people will start playing music, as it is never too late to learn. He also mentioned additional benefits of playing music, including increased social interactions, which are important as one ages.
In conclusion, both long-term musical training and starting to play an instrument later in life are associated with stronger brain connectivity, preserved cognitive functions, and increased resilience against age-related decline and dementia. Integrating musical activities offers a non-physical, accessible intervention to maintain brain health in older adults.
References:
1. Older musicians maintain youthful brain responses and avoid strain on brain areas while processing speech in noisy environments [1][5]. 2. Continued musical practice helps preserve memory and brain structure in key areas involved in cognition [3]. 3. Musical training builds cognitive reserve, helping mitigate typical aging brain changes [4]. 4. Music therapy complements these effects by improving cognitive and emotional well-being in seniors [2]. 5. The studies suggest that playing musical instruments could help protect against dementia. 6. The older non-musicians showed signs of age-related cognitive decline. 7. The study followed up on older people who learned to play a musical instrument for four months, with 13 of them continuing to practice. 8. The study's findings suggest that musical instrument practice may preserve cognitive function and keep the brain structurally intact as one ages. 9. Scientists scanned the participants' brains using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 10. Those who continued playing music for four years did not show signs of cognitive decline, unlike those who stopped. 11. Dr. Scheibye-Knudsen expressed hope that people will start playing music, as it is never too late to learn. 12. The musicians had strong connections in the right sides of their brains, while the non-musicians did not. 13. The older musicians' brains responded to the challenge similarly to the younger participants' brains. 14. The study suggests that musical experience builds cognitive reserve, helping older adults' brains avoid age-related overexertion when understanding speech in noisy places. 15. The first study, published in PLOS Biology, was a collaboration between scientists in Canada and China. 16. Another study published in Imaging Neuroscience suggests that musical practice can bolster brain health, even if started in old age. 17. The study also recruited 24 young people with no musical training. 18. The study recruited 50 adults aged 65, half of whom had played an instrument for at least 32 years.
- The impact of neuroscience in the field of music on brain health, particularly in older adulthood, has been emphasized through a series of groundbreaking studies.
- In one of these studies, published in PLOS Biology, older musicians' brains responded to speech-in-noise challenges similar to younger adults' brains, while non-musicians showed signs of cognitive decline.
- A longitudinal study published in Imaging Neuroscience found that older adults who continued musical instrument practice for four years showed less gray matter volume loss and maintained better verbal working memory compared to those who stopped.
- Beyond speech perception, long-term musical training has been shown to enhance cognitive reserve, helping older adults better perceive speech and mitigate decline.
- Musical therapy, which activates brain areas responsible for memory, emotion, and motor control, has been proven to improve cognitive functions like memory, attention, and processing speed in seniors.
- Dr. Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, an associate professor of ageing at the University of Copenhagen, expressed hope that people will start playing music, as it is never too late to learn and it offers benefits beyond brain health.
- Integrating musical activities offers a non-physical, accessible intervention to maintain brain health, brain function, and mental health in older adults, and potentially protect against dementia and delay age-related cognitive decline.
References:[1] Older musicians maintain youthful brain responses and avoid strain on brain areas while processing speech in noisy environments[3] Continued musical practice helps preserve memory and brain structure in key areas involved in cognition[4] Musical training builds cognitive reserve, helping mitigate typical aging brain changes[5] The studies suggest that playing musical instruments could help protect against dementia[15] The first study, published in PLOS Biology, was a collaboration between scientists in Canada and China.[16] Another study published in Imaging Neuroscience suggests that musical practice can bolster brain health, even if started in old age.
