Keeping the brain activated with music or a musical instrument could help with delaying the onset of dementia, according to a new Monash University study.
The study defines global cognition as overall cognitive function rather than specific areas of function like memory, attention, or language.
“Music therapy can be a valuable tool for those living with dementia,” Galaxy Home Care patient services director Yelena Sokolsky told NTD. “It can improve cognitive functioning and memory recall by facilitating brain connections through familiar melodies and songs from the past.”
In response to the findings, study author and Monash University professor Joanne Ryan advises listening to enjoyable music even though it might vary depending on their mood and other external factors.
“By helping keep our brain activated, this keeps the connections strong,” Ryan told NTD. “This could help with delaying the onset of dementia. We also know music can help calm us down, stay focused, improve our mood, and can even help lower blood pressure.”
The study was observational only and involved asking some 10,893 Australian adults who were 70 years and older about their regular habits with regards to listening to music or playing a musical instrument.
The type of musical instrument was undefined, as was the type of music and amount of time needed to benefit from music.
“People who responded to ‘always’ said they listened to music every day,” Ryan added. “Listening to some types of classical music may help us concentrate, listening to other types of music may be beneficial when we are stressed and want to calm down and other types of music may be best for singing and dancing.”
Professional musician, psychologist, and coach André Walton recommends playing the piano, which requires the feet and fingers and demands greater engagement than a recorder, which is a woodwind instrument.
“The more important factor might be to what extent the instrument really engages the player,” Walton told NTD.
The way that music integrates body and mind is what interests experts like Colombian-Spanish musicologist Patricia Caicedo.
“When you sing or play, you release neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, which enhance mood and social bonding, while reducing stress hormones like cortisol,” Caicedo told NTD. “This neurochemical harmony protects the brain, promoting homeostasis—what I describe as the balance between mind, body, and emotion that underlies true health.”
