EARLY MUSICAL TRAINING BENEFITS THE BRAIN LATER IN LIFE

11/5/2013 | For immediate release

JUST A FEW YEARS OF EARLY MUSICAL TRAINING BENEFITS THE BRAIN LATER IN LIFE 

 

Older adults who took music lessons during childhood are faster at responding to speech

Washington, DC – Older adults who took music lessons as children but haven’t actively played an instrument in decades have a faster brain response to a speech sound than individuals who never played an instrument, according to a study appearing November 6 in The Journal of Neuroscience. The finding suggests early musical training has a lasting, positive effect on how the brain processes sound.


As people grow older, they often experience changes in the brain that compromise hearing. For instance, the brains of older adults show a slower response to fast-changing sounds, which is important for interpreting speech. However, previous studies show such age-related declines are not inevitable: recent studies of musicians suggest lifelong musical training may offset these and other cognitive declines.