Older adults who play musical instruments have healthier brains, according to two recent studies, suggesting that tickling the ivories could help to protect you from dementia.
While one study looked at the effects of practising music for decades, the other investigated picking up a new instrument later in life.
But in both, playing music was associated with better brain health and less age-related cognitive decline.
The first study, published in PLOS Biology, was a collaboration between scientists in Canada and China. Scientists recruited 50 adults with an average age of 65; half had played an instrument for at least 32 years, and the other half did not play an instrument.
They also recruited 24 young people, with an average age of 23, who had no musical training.
The scientists scanned the participants using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the blood flow in their brains.
During their scans, the participants had to listen to a recording of someone speaking above the background noise of 50 other people talking. They were asked to identify what the main speaker was saying.
When scanning the participants’ brains, the scientists found that the older musicians’ brains responded to the challenge similarly to the younger participants’ brains.
The older non-musicians, however, showed signs of age-related cognitive decline. Specifically, while the musicians benefitted from strong connections in the right sides of their brains, the non-musicians did not – and had to compensate by using the left side of their brains as well. This may sound like a good thing, but it actually puts more strain on the brain.
“Just like a well-tuned instrument doesn’t need to be played louder to be heard, the brains of older musicians stay finely tuned thanks to years of training,” said co-author Dr Yi Du, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“Our study shows that this musical experience builds cognitive reserve, helping their brains avoid the usual age-related overexertion when trying to understand speech in noisy places.”
As we age, many of our brain's functions – such as memory, learning and perception – deteriorate, which can eventually lead to dementia.
But scientists believe cognitive reserve (the brain's ability to cope with damage and decline) might help to build resilience and stave off this decline.
It’s not clear how this works, Dr Morten Scheibye-Knudsen – associate professor of ageing at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark – told BBC Science Focus.
While some studies have shown that we can improve our brain health by ‘exercising’ our brains – such as by playing a musical instrument, learning a new language or completing sudokus and crossword puzzles – he said other studies have shown mixed results.
“In general, it is advised to train your brain, but the data is actually not that clear,” said Scheibye-Knudsen.
But another recent study, published in Imaging Neuroscience, also suggested that musical practice might bolster brain health – even if the individual starts playing in old age.
Scientists at Kyoto University, in Japan, followed up on a previous study they conducted involving 53 older people – with an average age of 73 – who learnt to play a musical instrument for four months. In this initial study, they did not observe much difference in the participants' brain health.
Four years later, the scientists conducted MRI scans on the same participants – 13 of whom had continued practising music – while they completed a verbal memory test.
Those who had stopped playing their newly learned instruments performed less well on memory tests. In fact, their putamen – the brain region responsible for motor function, learning and memory – had actually shrunk in volume.
However, those who had continued playing music for the four years since the initial study did not show these signs of cognitive decline.
Scheibye-Knudsen said the study suggested that “playing a musical instrument may have direct positive effects not only on preserving your cognitive function as you age but also keeping your brain structurally intact.”
He added: “There are additional benefits to playing an instrument outside of what this study investigated, including increased social interactions – which has been shown to be very important as we age.
“I therefore hope people will start playing music. It is never too late to learn.”
Read more:
- The 6 best habits to keep your brain fit as you age, according to neuroscience
- Your brain’s biological age can predict how long you’ll live, study finds
- Why does music make us feel good?
About our expert
Dr Morten Scheibye-Knudsen is an associate professor of ageing at the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark, and group leader of the Scheibye-Knudsen research group. He is also the president of the Nordic Aging Society.
