Playing musical instruments improved cognitive function in the elderly
Researchers analyzed the results of a survey of more than a thousand people and found that playing a musical instrument was associated with significantly better working memory and executive function scores. In addition, as reported in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, significant associations were also observed between singing and executive function, as well as between general musical ability and working memory.
Dementia is usually preceded by a gradual accumulation of cognitive deficits leading to moderate cognitive impairment. The timing and extent of the development of such deficits is directly related to cognitive reserve - the brain's ability to maintain its function under various injuries and diseases by utilizing idle neural connections and making new ones.
Previous research suggests that certain lifestyle factors increase cognitive reserve and are associated with a more favorable cognitive trajectory. These include cognitive workload, level of education, and certain types of hobbies. One such hobby is music practice, both in young and old age, which has previously been associated with healthy neurocognitive aging, memory and speech preservation.
Anne Corbett and colleagues at the University of Exeter conducted a study in which people over the age of 40 from the PROTECT-UK research project cohort completed a questionnaire about musical experiences across the lifespan. A total of 1107 people had data included in the analysis, 83 percent were women, and the average age was 67.82 years. The average level of education ranged from graduate student to doctoral degree.
The analysis showed that 89 percent of participants had experience playing a musical instrument, with 44 percent continuing to play music currently. Most participants played either keyboard or woodwind instruments; most played either one (28 percent) or two (23 percent) instruments, although four percent reported playing five or more instruments. 44 percent of participants were members of various musical instrument groups. 78 percent of participants reported receiving formal music education.
Analysis of cognitive measures showed that participants who responded positively to questions about playing musical instruments performed significantly better on working memory and executive function tasks (p < 0.0001), independent search (p = 0.0004), and combined working memory (p < 0.0001), as well as in number and speech tasks (p < 0.011). The effect on working memory was particularly pronounced in people who reported playing keyboard instruments. However, no significant difference was found when comparing participants who played one instrument to those who played multiple instruments.
The researchers also found a significant relationship between singing and executive function (p < 0.014) in a general test of verbal reasoning. Higher musical ability was also associated with better performance in a working memory task for number digits (p < 0.011). The researchers found no statistically significant associations between simply listening to music and cognitive performance. A comparison of participants who currently played a musical instrument with those who had previously played showed significantly better performance on two of the three measures of working memory and cumulative working memory (p = 0.0076).
The results of this study confirm that playing a musical instrument can be considered as an effective method of increasing cognitive reserve and, therefore, as a measure for preventing the development of dementia.