Something like magic happened to her grandparents when she played music, said Jennifer Bugos, a professor at the University of South Florida.
"My dementia-stricken grandfather, who barely even read a sentence, sang the entire song Battle Hymn of the Republic. My Alzheimer's patient grandmother, who was completely vegetative, moved her toe in the constant rhythm of the music."
Bugos arranged a music lesson for older people who had never played an instrument in their lives. Participants learned music theory, playing musical sequences, and musical pieces from the beginner-level music book three days a week. After six months, participants ' cognitive skills, such as attention, memory, and performing many tasks at the same time, were increased. Bugos says:
"Music is a powerful stimulus that contributes to people from a cognitive and emotional point of view. Despite physical and cognitive deficits, music has the capacity to overcome obstacles."
Although hearing, memory and other cognitive skills decrease as we age, studies show that people who participate in musical activities, albeit slightly, can maintain these skills. By working on musicians, scientists have learned a lot about how playing music affects the brain. Compared to older people who did not have musical education, older musicians were found to hear better in noisy environments, their memory and cognitive control were better.
In a 2018 study, researchers compared MRI results of professional and amateur musicians with MRI results of non-musicians to compare how their brains aged, and concluded that musicians ' brains looked younger. Christian Gaser, a professor at the University of Jena and also one of the study's authors, says:
"The difference between the chronological age of the brain and the estimated age is called "Brain Age Difference estimation" and provides information about the aging process in the brain."
A high Brain Age Difference estimate score indicated that the brain ages rapidly, while a low brain age difference estimate score meant that the brain ages slowly. On this scale, musicians scored lower than non-musicians and showed fewer signs of aging, such as the regional brain shrinkage usually seen in the brains of older people. It was notable that amateur musicians scored lower than professional musicians. Amateur musicians were the slowest aging musicians. Prof. Dr. Gaser and his friends attribute this to the fact that amateur musicians do music without a livelihood:
"Only people who play instruments in their spare time have more fun, and here there is more talk about the rejuvenating effect on the brain, because stress factors are eliminated, as in professional musicians."
Instrument playing can also be associated with cognitive benefits because it is also exercise for the brain. "Playing an instrument is brain training," said Jessica Strong, a clinical geropsychiatrist and assistant professor in the Department of psychology at the University of Prince Edward Island."he says. As you play the instrument and try to suppress your excessive movements at this time, you may need to work your hands and fingers (sometimes your feet) at the same time. In addition to dealing with physical movements, you understand and follow the sheet music. When you do these things, you just focus on the music and ignore the distractions.
Assist. Assoc. Dr. Strong noted that these changes could last. One study found that older people who have not played an instrument for more than four decades respond to auditory stimuli faster than people who have never played an instrument. Early musical experiences can lead individuals to interact audibly in a different direction for the rest of their lives. Dr. Strong says:
Assist. Assoc. Dr. Strong noted that these changes could last. One study found that older people who have not played an instrument for more than four decades respond to auditory stimuli faster than people who have never played an instrument. Early musical experiences can lead individuals to interact audibly in a different direction for the rest of their lives. Dr. Strong says:
"Even if an older person does not play an instrument for a long time, changes (such as sound and intensity) that occur in certain areas of their brain when they previously played an instrument will still exist."
Dr. Strong In 2018, examined the cognitive differences between older people still engaged in active music, people who had previously engaged in music, and people who were not musicians. Participants were tested in terms of their memory, sorting and attention skills, ability to perform tasks, and visual spatial abilities that help perceive the environment. Participants who had studied music received better scores on the comprehension, planning and attention scales. Strong's findings in the study matched the previous study. Says:
"Replicating and expanding findings strengthens the relationship between playing a musical instrument and the level of perception in later ages."
In 2019, Clude Alain and his team studied how music education affects the brains of older people at the Rotman Research Institute. The researchers enrolled the elderly in music or visual arts sessions. Participants underwent tests that measured verbal comprehension, memory and cognitive control before attending the sessions. After three months, individuals who participated in music sessions developed inhibitory control skills. Participants could ignore all other factors except to focus on the song. Alain says:
"Short-term visual arts and music education can increase the brain health of older people. This is a big improvement, given that the training is three months."
While scientists have learned a lot about the relationship between music and brain aging, there is still a lot to explore. For example, what happens in the brain when people play music, and why does it have positive effects? Jennifer Bugos concludes her remarks by saying:
"We need to understand the background of music education and what part of music education contributes to the advances we observe."