Living longer often comes with changes in cognitive abilities, and working memory is among the mental skills most vulnerable to age related decline. Researchers have long believed that both physical exercise and mentally stimulating activities can help support brain health as people grow older.
Two brain regions that commonly shrink and become less active with age are the putamen and the cerebellum. Interestingly, neuroscience studies have also identified these same areas as being particularly responsive to musical instrument training. However, much of the existing research has focused on younger people or individuals who began playing music during childhood.
Long Term Effects of Learning an Instrument
To explore whether older adults could gain similar benefits, researchers at Kyoto University examined what happens when people take up a musical instrument later in life.
The team had previously reported that older adults who practiced a musical instrument for the first time over a four month period showed improvements in memory performance and putamen function. Encouraged by those findings, the researchers wanted to determine whether the benefits could last over the long term.
The new study followed the same participants from that earlier 2020 project. At the start of the original study, the participants had an average age of 73. After completing the initial four month training period, about half continued practicing their instrument for more than three years, while the others stopped and pursued different hobbies instead.
Brain Scans Reveal Differences After Four Years
Four years later, the researchers invited participants back for MRI scans that focused especially on the putamen and cerebellum. Participants also completed several cognitive assessments, including a verbal working memory test.
At the beginning of the study, there were no significant differences between the groups in either brain structure or cognitive performance. After four years, however, clear differences had emerged.
Participants who stopped practicing music showed declines in verbal working memory and a reduction in gray matter volume within the right putamen. In contrast, those who continued playing their instruments did not show the same drop in memory performance or the same degree of putamen shrinkage.
The researchers also found greater activity across broader areas of both cerebellums in the participants who continued practicing compared with those who stopped.
“We were surprised to find that the effects on the brains of elderly people who start and continue practicing an instrument were also concentrated in these two areas of the brain, and that this was an effective way to prevent age-related decline,” says corresponding author Kaoru Sekiyama.
Music as a Tool for Healthy Brain Aging
The findings suggest that learning and continuing to play a musical instrument may help delay or reduce some of the cognitive changes associated with normal aging. The results also indicate that people can benefit even when they begin learning later in life.
“It’s never too late to start playing an instrument, and starting in old age may have major benefits.”
Sekiyama also notes that music may be especially valuable for people who have difficulty participating in physical exercise.
“For those who struggle to engage in physical activity due to body pain or other problems, playing musical instruments can be a great alternative. How fortunate that practicing music has such a positive impact on the brain and cognitive function!” says Sekiyama.