The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50 million the number of people suffering from dementia in the world. “Madness East a syndrome characterized by impaired memory, reasoning, behavior and ability to perform daily activities.”, explains the organization. This brain disorder develops particularly with age, and approximately 10 million new cases appear each year.
This new study, published in February by a team of German and Swiss researchers in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, reveals promising results to avoid the risk of dementia.
Indeed, researchers already knew that play a musical instrument might protect once morest certain pathologies. In this study, they were interested in the impact that learning a musical instrument might have on our brain, even if it is done at a late age.
The results of the scientists are very promising. According to them, learning the piano, even from the age of sixty, may help protect brain tissue and cognitive function.
Dementia: six months of piano might help reduce risks
The research focused on the observation of 121 sixties and septuagenarianshaving no never played a musical instrument. These people have been separated into two categories, and analyzed for six months.
The first was composed of 59 people. Participants had to follow one hour of piano lessons per week and practice individually at home every day for half an hour. The 62 remaining people had listening sessions only music scheduled during those six months.
The researchers carried out brain scans on all participants, before and following the experiment, in order to measure the density of white matter and its evolution over the course of the study.
Learning: piano players have a better memory
The results observed following a study of only six months were already promising. The researchers found that piano-dwellers showed little, if any, loss of white matter density. The white matter is brain tissue essential for brain functionshe allows messages to be transported between neurons. Having a good amount of this material therefore means a maintenance of cognitive function and good memory.
On the contrary, participants who simply listened to music showed a decline in white matter and one increased risk of developing memory problems and dementia.
Additional studies would be necessary to clarify two points according to the researchers. First, they might make it possible to know whether the learning must necessarily be continuous to maintain the protective effect. Moreover, to better understand how piano practice improves our cognitive functions might help prevent or delay neurodegenerative diseasesas l’Alzheimerwhich represents 60 to 80% of dementia cases.
