Playing a musical instrument (preferably the piano) keeps the brain younger

Music is good for the brain. And this, all things considered, was known. Listening to a song of your favorite musical genre has multiple positive effects on our body. Music therapy is now commonplace in many healthcare contexts. However, not everyone plays a musical instrument. According to a new study published in Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry by researchers at the University of Exeter, musical activity is associated with better brain health in old age.

Recruited over a thousand people

Scientists working on PROTECT an online study open to people aged 40 and over, looked at data from more than a thousand adults over the age of 40 to see the effect of playing a musical instrument – or sing in a choir – on brain health. Over 25,000 people participated in the PROTECT study, which has been running for 10 years. The team examined participants' musical experience and exposure to music throughout their lives, along with cognitive test resultsto determine whether music helps keep the brain active in old age.

The idea for the studio came from Gaia Veterean Italian medical student at the University of Exeter. A passionate pianist, Gaia contacted the PROTECT studio team. As a pianist, I was interested in researching the impact of music and cognition. Being fairly new to the world of research and publishing, this has been a challenging but also truly enriching experience.

Scientific literature

The literature has identified a positive association between playing a musical instrument and multiple aspects of cognition, and a recent systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that playing a musical instrument reduces the risk of MCI (mild cognitive impairment) and dementia. Another study showed that formal musical training can lead to a better episodic and semantic memory
at an advanced age. Furthermore, a small cross-sectional study found that active choir singers over the age of 60 performed better in terms of verbal flexibility compared to non-singers.

Finally, there appears to be a strong association between musical ability and
working memory
. In fact, one study that explored the basis of musical memory found that musicians had better visuospatial memory, musical and verbal compared to non-musicians. Furthermore, it has been suggested that musical training has beneficial effects on multiple specific aspects of working memory. A meta-analysis also found better performance on long-term, short-term, and working memory tasks in musicians.

The results of the study

The results show that playing a musical instrument, particularly the piano, is linked to improved memory and the ability to solve complex tasks, known as executive functions. Continuing to play into old age offers even greater benefits. The data obtained in the study have notable implications on various levels – comments Professor Marco Trabucchi, psycho-geriatrician of the Brescia geriatric research group —. A positive effect occurs at the level of public health; It is therefore fully included among the commitments that our aging society must observe. The aim is to avoid the burden of an ever-increasing number of citizens who, as the years pass, experience a reduction in their autonomy, with the consequent increase in the organizational and economic burden for the communities, but above all in suffering for individuals. and for their families.

Singing works too

The work suggests even that the singing is also linked to better brain health, although there could also be due to social factors related to belonging to a choir or group. Numerous studies have examined the effect of music on brain health – reiterates Anne Corbett, professor of Dementia Research at the University of Exeter -. Our PROTECT study gave us a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between cognitive performance and music in a large cohort of older adults. Overall, we think that engaging in music could be a way to harness the brain's agility and resilience, known as cognitive reserve.

A lifestyle to be encouraged

Although they are further research is needed To investigate this relationship,” adds Professor Corbett, “our findings indicate that promoting music education would be a valuable part of public health initiatives to promote a lifestyle that protects brain health, as well as encourage older people to return to music in later life. This is considerable evidence of the benefit of group activities for people with dementia, and the approach could be extended as part of a healthy aging package to enable older adults to proactively reduce risk and promote brain health.

Musical exercise medicine for everyone

According to Professor Trabucchi, facilitating the spread of musical practice among the population must be a widespread objective by organizing adequate social occasions. First of all it would be appropriate to convince through the media that music allows you to avoid, or at least reduce, the decline of cognitive functions related to age. On a practical level it is useful to organize moments of first encounter with music by elderly people who have never had this sensitivity, but also stimulate memory of musical activities carried out in youth. Senior centers and any other meeting places should always provide opportunities for individual or choral musical activities.

Never too late to start

appropriate to associate the pleasantness induced by the sound of an instrument, or participation in a choir, with the belief that by doing so we can reduce the negative effects of time on the brain's ability to guarantee an active life even at a very advanced age (it is never too late to start playing an instrument or singing in a choir!) — adds the expert —Music must also become an important moment of the day for the individual citizen, convinced of its usefulness for maintain a good memory, an adequate attentional capacity and to independently make plans. Some people will prefer to carry out a musical activity alone, others in a group, following their own preferences; moreover, music always exerts a positive action on a subjective level, so the person tends to continue to exercise it.

Today the importance of keeping one's old age active is emphasized and many different interventions are suggested in this direction. Music is not tiring and does not require stringent dietary regimesIt is pleasant, also because it easily creates group adhesion. therefore in first position among the activities to be proposed to elderly people to build a “good” life”, concludes Professor Trabucchi.

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