Engaging in music all through your life is related to higher mind well being in older age, based on a brand new examine printed by consultants on the University of Exeter.

Scientists engaged on PROTECT, a web based examine open to folks aged 40 and over, reviewed knowledge from greater than a thousand adults over the age of 40 to see the impact of taking part in a musical instrument – or singing in a choir – on mind well being. Over 25000 folks have signed up for the PROTECT examine, which has been operating for 10 years.

The staff reviewed members’ musical expertise and lifelong publicity to music, alongside outcomes of cognitive testing, to find out whether or not musicality helps to maintain the mind sharp in later life.

The findings present that taking part in a musical instrument, significantly the piano, is linked to improved reminiscence and the power to unravel complicated duties – often called government operate. Continuing to play into later life offers even larger profit. The work additionally means that singing was additionally linked to higher mind well being, though this will even be as a result of social elements of being a part of a choir or group.

Quite a few research have appeared on the impact of music on mind well being. Our PROTECT examine has given us a singular alternative to discover the connection between cognitive efficiency and music in a big cohort of older adults. Overall, we expect that being musical could possibly be a means of harnessing the mind’s agility and resilience, often called cognitive reserve.”

Anne Corbett, Professor of Dementia Research, University of Exeter

“Although more research is needed to investigate this relationship, our findings indicate that promoting musical education would be a valuable part of public health initiatives to promote a protective lifestyle for brain health, as would encouraging older adults to return to music in later life. There is considerable evidence for the benefit of music group activities for individuals with dementia, and this approach could be extended as part of a healthy ageing package for older adults to enable them to proactively reduce their risk and to promote brain health.”

Stuart Douglas, a 78-year-old accordion participant from Cornwall, has performed the instrument all through his life and now performs with the Cober Valley Accordion Band in addition to the Cornish Division of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. He mentioned: “I learnt to play the accordion as a boy living in a mining village in Fife and carried on throughout my career in the police force and beyond. These days I still play regularly, and playing in the band also keeps my calendar full, as we often perform in public. We regularly play at memory cafes so have seen the effect that our music has on people with memory loss, and as older musicians ourselves we have no doubt that continuing with music into older age has played an important role in keeping our brains healthy.”

The paper, ‘The relationship between taking part in musical devices and cognitive trajectories: Analysis from a UK ageing cohort’, is printed in International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. This examine is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula (PenARC) and NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre.

The PROTECT examine is operating completely on-line and is open to new members aged 40 an over.