14 DAY TRIAL // Emory University scientists found in a new study that people who studied music as children were less likely to display symptoms related to cognitive decline, memory loss and overall brain aging as seniors than peers who did not study music.
Clinical neuropsychologist Brenda Hanna-Pladdy says that studying a musical instrument triggers changes in the brain that may protect the latter against decline. Brain aging and memory loss can be symptoms of various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.
In a paper published in the latest issue of the medical journal Neuropsychology, the team says that seniors who studied a musical instrument for at least 10 years as children are very likely to retain full cognitive capabilities, even when they are very old, Science Blog reports.
“A range of cognitive benefits, including memory, was sustained for musicians between the ages of 60-80 if they played for at least 10 years throughout their life, confirming that maintenance of advantages is not reliant on continued activity,” Hanna-Pladdy explains.