The relation between instrumental musical activity and cognitive aging.

Abstract

Objective Intensive repetitive musical practice can lead to bilateral cortical reorganization. However, whether musical sensorimotor and cognitive abilities transfer to nonmusical cognitive abilities that are maintained throughout the life span is unclear. In an attempt to identify modifiable lifestyle factors that may potentially enhance successful aging, we evaluated the association between musical instrumental participation and cognitive aging. Method Seventy older healthy adults (ages 60–83) varying in musical activity completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The groups (nonmusicians, low and high activity musicians) were matched on age, education, history of physical exercise, while musicians were matched on age of instrumental acquisition and formal years of musical training. Musicians were classified in the low (1–9 years) or high (>10 years) activity group based on years of musical experience throughout their life span. Results The results of this preliminary study revealed that participants with at least 10 years of musical experience (high activity musicians) had better performance in nonverbal memory (η2 = .106), naming (η2 = .103), and executive processes (η2 = .131) in advanced age relative to nonmusicians. Several regression analyses evaluated how years of musical activity, age of acquisition, type of musical training, and other variables predicted cognitive performance. Conclusions These correlational results suggest a strong predictive effect of high musical activity throughout the life span on preserved cognitive functioning in advanced age. A discussion of how musical participation may enhance cognitive aging is provided along with other alternative explanations.

Tuning the mind: Exploring the connections between musical ability and executive functions

“…Similarly, these findings contrast with other work finding musician advantages in task switching (Hanna-Pladdy & MacKay, 2011;Moradzadeh et al, 2014).…”

“…For example, music is most often played in coordination with others (Palmer, 2013), which requires switching between multiple auditory streams (Loehr, Kourtis, Vesper, Sebanz, & Knoblich, 2013) and adjusting to other performers (e.g., Loehr & Palmer, 2011;Moore & Chen, 2010). Thus music performance may be associated with relatively general switching advantages, and musicians have indeed been found to outperform non-musicians on switching tasks (Hanna-Pladdy & MacKay, 2011;Moradzadeh, Blumenthal, & Wiseheart, 2014; see also Bugos, Perlstein, McCrae, Brophy, & Bedenbaugh, 2007;Zuk, Benjamin, Kenyon, & Gaab, 2014).…”

The effects of musical training on movement pre-programming and re-programming abilities: An event-related potential investigation

“…Consistent with this interpretation, individuals have been shown to exhibit increasingly faster RTs as they accumulate more musical practice hours (Jentzsch et al, 2014). Moreover, only adults with at least 10 years of musical practice display advantages on non-verbal memory, naming and executive functioning, compared to controls (Hanna-Pladdy & Mackay, 2011). However, this account restricts the generalizability of the present findings.…”

“…As the ability to prepare movements slows with age (Stelmach et al, 1988;Seidler et al, 2010), musical practice could serve as a potential intervention to delay or prevent such aging-related decline (Hanna-Pladdy & MacKay, 2011; As mentioned earlier, musicians have been reported to show structural enlargements in motoric areas of the brain. Musicians may therefore be more efficient at preparing their actions compared to non-musicians (Jäncke et al, 2000).…”

How to Assess Gaming-Induced Benefits on Attention and Working Memory

“…Of note, but not discussed in this review, is that cognitive control has also been shown to be significantly enhanced by physical exercise in adults (for reviews, see Kramer and Erickson 53 and Hillman et al 55 ) and children, 56 by musical training, [57][58][59] and by meditation-based approaches. [60][61][62] Perhaps in the future a combined approach utilizing both game-based training and these alternative training procedures may prove most useful for training older populations and children and adults with attention deficits and workforce training such as for military personnel and even surgeons, 63 as well as other application to various neurological and psychiatric disorders.…”