As we age, our brains lose some of their volume. Age-related gray matter loss is typically associated with cognitive decline and impaired memory functions. Older adults are at a higher risk for brain atrophy (i.e., shrinkage) and usually lose some of their working memory capacity due to thinning gray matter.
Gray matter thinning doesn’t occur uniformly throughout the whole brain; some areas tend to thin more and shrink faster as we get older. By age 70, most older adults will experience some brain shrinkage in memory-related areas.
A new fMRI study on the neuroscience-based benefits of music interventions in healthy older adults (aged 62 to 78) found that learning to play an instrument or taking music awareness classes that cultivate “active listening” for six months increases gray matter volume in specific brain regions and improves working memory.
Education for seniors should become a major policy priority in the framework of healthy aging, to promote brain plasticity and cognitive reserve, through stimulating group interventions such as music-making and active listening.
Source: Psychology Today