The music of the mind

A study tried to examine the effect of learning music in old age on the morbidity in Shetion

One of the recurring questions in the study of cognitive function in old age is which characteristics of lifestyle may affect the postponement of the onset of dementia (dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease). Findings in the literature indicate that physical activity throughout life has a beneficial effect on the rejection of dementia, however the mechanism underlying this beneficial effect is not clear enough. It is possible that there is a direct effect of the physical activity itself, and alternatively it is possible that the social interaction, which is part of the physical activity, or other factors are responsible for this effect.

Other studies indicate a connection between engaging in high-level cognitive activity throughout life and delaying the onset of dementia. And here, in a study published in the journal Neuropsychology, Brenda Hanna-Pladdy and Alicia MacKay (Hanna-Pladdy, MacKay) examine the question: Does learning to play music at a young age and playing throughout life affect cognitive abilities in old age?

The magic training? Studies indicate that early musical training may affect motor and cognitive abilities. However, the main problem with these studies is that most of them are not based on an experimental set-up with a control group and random assignment of the participants to the experimental conditions, but are correlational studies only.

Therefore, it is impossible to conclude from them about causality and say with certainty whether participation in preschool music classes leads to cognitive improvement among the children who participated in them (compared to children who did not participate in music classes), or whether children with high cognitive abilities to begin with are the ones who participate in preschool music classes.

Now the question arises: are there differences in the cognitive ability of very old people who are amateur, non-professional musicians, and those who have never studied music at all? Seventy participants aged 83-60 took part in the study (the average age was seventy years). The participants were classified into three groups based on the musical experience they acquired throughout their lives: in the first group, the non-players group, were classified participants without any musical training and who do not know how to play any musical instrument.

In the second group, the group of musicians for a short time, participants with little musical training were classified. They studied music for at least a year and have been playing music for between one and nine years. Finally, the third group, the group of players over time, included participants with extensive musical training. They have studied music for at least a year, but have been playing for at least ten years. Some of the participants of this group even continued to play throughout their lives.

The two groups of musicians did not differ from each other in the average age at which the participants learned to play for the first time (age ten), or in the number of years of musical training they acquired (three and a half years), but they differed from each other in the number of years they continued to play (4 vs. 36 years on average for the members of the second group vs. the third). In addition, all three groups were similar to each other in characteristics such as number of years of education, intelligence, health, physical independence and physical activity.

The effect of musical training

The study participants were tested in many tests aimed at assessing their cognitive abilities, such as verbal memory, non-verbal memory, attention allocation, verbal abilities and verbal abilities. The analysis of the research findings shows that there are clear differences between the group of non-players and the group of players over time in cognitive abilities such as verbal abilities, non-verbal memory, and motor speed.

Although the differences between the two groups of players were not statistically significant, the abilities of the group of players for a short time exceeded those of the non-players. Therefore, it is possible to point to a direct relationship between the number of years of playing a musical instrument at a young age and between cognitive abilities at an older age.

It is important to note that the study may have alternative explanations. Like many studies in the field, this study also indicates a relationship between variables, but not causation. It is possible, for example, that there are intervening variables, and that it is precisely people with certain cognitive characteristics who will persist in playing for a longer period of time. Furthermore, it is possible that the different study groups differed in additional variables, which were not examined here, such as personality traits or motivation.

Many parents struggle with the question of which class to enroll their child in. The main finding of the present study (even in view of the alternative explanations that have been put forward), which indicates the possibility of a long-term effect of musical training on cognition, provides food for thought for the parents' deliberation.

Dr. Miriam Dishon-Berkowitz is a psychologist, an organizational and marketing consultant and a lecturer at the Ono Academic College