As people live longer than ever before, maintaining cognitive health into old age has become a critical concern. While it is widely accepted that some degree of cognitive decline is a natural part of ageing, not all areas of the brain are equally affected, and not all individuals experience this decline at the same rate. Working memory—the ability to temporarily hold and manipulate information—is among the most vulnerable cognitive functions in later life. However, engaging in mentally stimulating activities has been shown to delay or even reduce the rate of cognitive deterioration. In particular, activities that challenge the brain in novel ways—such as learning to play a musical instrument—are thought to support the maintenance of memory and overall cognitive function.
Two regions of the brain that are especially prone to age-related decline are the putamen and the cerebellum. Both play vital roles not only in motor control but also in higher cognitive processes, including learning and memory. Recent advances in neuroscience have revealed that musical practice has a powerful influence on these areas. Despite these findings, most of the research has focused on young adults or individuals who began playing instruments in childhood, leaving unanswered questions about whether starting an instrument later in life can confer similar neurological benefits.
To address this, a research team at Kyoto University conducted a series of studies to investigate the potential cognitive benefits of learning a musical instrument in later life. Their initial study, conducted in 2020, involved elderly participants with an average age of 73 who were new to musical practice. After just four months of learning and playing an instrument, the participants demonstrated noticeable improvements in memory performance and increased functional activity in the putamen. Encouraged by these promising short-term results, the researchers extended their investigation to explore whether these changes would persist or even deepen over time.
In their follow-up study, the same group of participants was tracked over four years. Half of them continued to practise their instruments regularly, while the other half ceased musical activity and took up different hobbies. The researchers employed MRI imaging and cognitive tests to assess any changes, with particular attention paid to the structure and activity of the putamen and cerebellum. While there were no significant differences between the two groups immediately following the initial intervention, by the end of the four years, clear patterns had emerged. Those who had stopped practising music showed a decline in verbal working memory and a reduction in grey matter in the right putamen. In contrast, those who continued to practice showed no such deterioration.
Further analysis revealed another striking difference: the group that continued their musical practice exhibited heightened activity in both cerebellar hemispheres, suggesting a more widespread and sustained engagement of this brain region. This is particularly noteworthy because the cerebellum is often overlooked in discussions of cognitive ageing. Yet, it plays a significant role in preserving mental agility through music. “We were surprised to find that the effects on the brains of elderly people who start and continue practising an instrument were also concentrated in these two areas of the brain, and that this was an effective way to prevent age-related decline,” remarked Kaoru Sekiyama, the study’s lead author.
The implications of these findings are both practical and uplifting. Not only does this research suggest that musical training can have a protective effect on the ageing brain, but it also offers hope to those who may feel they have missed the opportunity to pursue such an activity earlier in life. For older adults who are unable to engage in physically strenuous activities due to chronic pain or mobility issues, learning an instrument provides a valuable alternative—a joyful and cognitively enriching way to stay mentally active. The study’s results support the notion that it is never too late to start making music, and that doing so may provide lasting benefits to memory and brain health well into old age.
More information: Kaoru Sekiyama et al, Never too late to start musical instrument training: Effects on working memory and subcortical preservation in healthy older adults across 4 years, Imaging Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1162/IMAG.a.48
Journal information: Imaging Neuroscience Provided by Kyoto University
