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Musical ability may help hone mental ability —Study


Sticking to the childhood piano, guitar and violin lessons may pay off in the future: a study has shown playing musical instruments can keep the mind sharp. According to the April 2011 study by Brenda Hanna-Pladdy and Alicia MacKay, 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 an abstract of the study. "Starting musical training early and continuing it for several years have a favorable effect on metal abilities during old age. Musical training also seems to enhance verbal prowess and the general IQ of a person, although it is possible that people with higher IQ tend to pursue music more seriously. It is advisable to think about our lifestyles and change them accordingly to have a better chance at a healthy, clear-headed old age," it added. 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. Musicians were matched on age of instrumental acquisition and formal years of musical training; and classified in the low (one to nine years) or high (10 years or more) activity group based on years of musical experience throughout their life span. All participants were tested for brain strengths such as memory, attention, and language prowess, as well as their mastery on the use of language, ability to remember, and ability to express oneself. The results showed:

  • Verbal intellectual ability and learning, as well as recall of verbal information, were found to be similar across the three groups.
  • High-activity musicians were significantly better at performing tasks based on visual inputs.
  • While language prowess seemed to be similar across the groups, the high-activity musicians’ memory for words was significantly better than that of non-musicians.
  • The age at which musical training started affected visual memory, while the number of years of training affected non-verbal memory.
However, the study also said social influences like motivation should be considered in future studies. It also suggested that a further on whether the effects of music are generalized or whether they affect only specific parts of the brain be undertaken. — TJD, GMA News
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