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According to UK researchers, playing a musical instrument or singing could help keep the brain healthy in older age. Practicing and reading music may help sustain good memory and the ability to solve difficult tasks.
In their report, which was published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, they say that music should be considered as part of a lifestyle approach to maintain the brain.
More than 1,100 individuals aged over 40, with a mean age of 68, were studied. Scientists at the University of Exeter observed their brain function data as part of a wider study that has been researching how brains age, and why individuals develop dementia.
They looked at the effects of playing an instrument, singing, reading, and listening to music, as well as the musical ability.
The scientists compared the cognitive data of those in the study who were involved in music in some way in their lives, with those who never had.
According to their results, it showed that individuals who played musical instruments benefitted the most, which may be because of the multiple cognitive demands of the activity.
Researchers say that Playing the piano or keyboard appeared to be particularly beneficial, while brass and woodwind instruments were good as well. Simply listening to music did not appear to help cognitive health. The benefit seen with singing might be partly because of the known social aspects of being in a choir or group.
Since we have such sensitive brain tests for this study, we can look at individual aspects of the brain function, such as short-term memory, long-term memory, and problem-solving, and how engaging music affects says, lead author Prof Anne Corbett.
Certainly, this confirms and cements on a much larger scale what we already know about the benefits of music. Specifically, playing an instrument has a particularly big effect, and individuals who continue to play into an older age saw an additional benefit, she said.
In the study, individuals who read music regularly had better numerical memory.
Prof Corbett said that our brain is a muscle like anything else and it needs to be exercised, and learning to read music is a bit like learning a new language, which is very challenging.
Researchers did not test the potential benefits of taking up a musical hobby for the first time later in life, but Prof Corbett said she believed, based on the present evidence, it would be very beneficial.
Prof Corbett said that, although more research was needed, promoting musical education could form a valuable part of a public health message, as would encouraging older adults to return to music in later life.
The message is about how individuals can proactively reduce their risk of cognitive decline or dementia, and thinking about engaging with music as a way of doing that. This study recommends that it could be part of a much wider lifestyle method to improve brain health as you get older.
However, she also said that it would be naïve to think taking up a musical instrument would mean you won’t develop dementia. It’s not as simple as that.The ability to make or play music – whether by singing or playing an instrument can continue even when individuals living with dementia have lost other abilities and means of communication, the charity’s Caroline Scates said.
If you know somebody living with dementia who enjoys or has enjoyed, singing or playing an instrument, it can be beneficial to keep these instruments or sheet music to hand for them to play or read.
Stuart Douglas, 78, has played the accordion regularly since the age of eight. He said it kept his brain active and said it helps others too.
We regularly play at memory cafes so have seen the effect that our music has on individuals with memory loss and, as older musicians ourselves, we do not doubt that continuing with music into older age has played an important role in keeping our brains healthy. The study was supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
