Sunday, August 14, 2011

Musical Pains Make Mental Gains


An April 2011 study concluded that those who play musical instruments regularly may retain certain mental abilities in old age.

"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, naming, and executive processes in advanced age relative to nonmusicians," according to “The Relation Between Instrumental Musical Activity and Cognitive Aging,” which was originally published in Neuropsychology.

The study’s authors, Branda Hanna-Pladdy and Alicia MacKay, continued: "Starting musical training early and continuing it for several years have a favorable effect on metal abilities during old age . . . It is advisable to think about our lifestyles and change them accordingly to have a better chance at a healthy, clear-headed old age.” In the study, 70 adults aged 60 to 83 underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and were divided into non-musicians, low- and high activity musicians.
As reported in SBO  magazine

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