Playing music slows the deterioration of brain functions

class=”sc-3778e872-0 cKDKQr”>

People aged 62 to 78 years were included in the pilot study conducted by the University of Geneva, the University of Applied Sciences in Western Switzerland and the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. The prerequisite for participation was that none of them had taken more than six months of music lessons.

As announced by the University of Geneva on Monday, the participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group went to piano lessons once a week. The second group took active listening lessons. This included instrument recognition and analysis of works in a wide variety of musical styles.

After six months, the researchers noticed joint effects in both groups. In the Neurobild examination, all participants showed an increase in the brain’s gray matter, specifically in the four key perception centers, namely the memory centers of the cerebellum.

Services increased 6%. The results were directly related to the workability of the cerebellum, as quoted in the press release by the study’s lead author, Clara James.

Improves sleep quality

Researchers also found that sleep quality, number of lessons, and daily practice had an impact on brain performance.

But there was a difference between musicians and active listeners. Brain matter in the correct primary auditory context remained the same in subjects who took piano lessons, but decreased in those who only listened to music.

However, all participants showed continued overall shrinkage. First author Damien Marie noted that musical activity doesn’t rejuvenate the brain, it just slows down the aging of certain brain regions.

In the next step, the research wants to examine the effect of music on people with a slight decline in brain power between aging and dementia. The study was published in the journal Neuroimage: Reports.

(SDA)

Source : Blick