Have you ever considered picking up a musical instrument? According to a new study published in the journal Science Advances, learning to play an instrument could be the key to keeping your brain young and sharp.
The study, conducted by scientists from the Department of Psychology at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, found that long-term musical training can actually delay and counteract the natural decline in cognitive function that comes with ageing.
Benefits of Musical Training for Brain Ageing
The study compared the brains of musicians and non-musicians of both young and old age groups. It revealed that playing an instrument can exercise and preserve areas of the brain that are responsible for cognitive function, including perception, memory, learning, attention, decision-making and language abilities.
One of the most common age-related cognitive deficits is difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments. However, the study found that older musicians have enhanced central auditory processing functions and preserved cognitive abilities, such as auditory processing and working memory, which can help them perform as well
as young adults.
Furthermore, the study suggests that musical training can improve the neural specificity of speech representations in both auditory and speech-motor regions, even in young adults.
Benefits of Musicianship for Audiovisual Speech-in-Noise Processing
The study also found that musicianship-related benefits in audiovisual speech-in-noise processing are rooted in preserving youth-like representations in the sensorimotor regions of the brain. This means that the brains of older musicians can match the brains of young non-musicians in identifying audiovisual syllables under noisy conditions.
Conclusion
With people ageing prematurely in today’s world, it’s important to find healthy ways to age well and counteract natural cognitive decline. Learning a musical instrument is an excellent way to exercise and preserve cognitive function and keep the brain sharp, young and focused. So why not pick up that guitar, piano or drum set and start your musical journey today?
