Study
At the start of the study, participants indicated on a questionnaire how often they listened to music or the radio or played an instrument. They could choose between never, rarely, sometimes, often, and always.
Based on their responses, the researchers divided the participants into three groups: one that never, rarely, or sometimes listened to music or the radio [Group 1], one that often listened to music or the radio [Group 2], and one that always had music or the radio playing [Group 3].
The researchers used cognitive tests and the participants' medical records to determine whether they showed any cognitive signs of dementia at the end of the study period.
Results
Study participants who said they "always" listened to music or the radio had a 39 percent lower risk of dementia than participants in Group 1. The researchers adjusted for factors such as age, gender, and education level.
Playing an instrument reduced the risk of dementia by 35 percent, and the combination of listening and playing by 33 percent.
Click on the figure below for a larger version.
Speaking of education, the researchers also found a link between education and the protective effect of music. In the group with more than 16 years of education, always listening to the radio or music reduced the risk of dementia by a whopping 63 percent.
The interaction between music and education was not significant (p = 0.15).
Mechanism
Listening to music activates multiple parts of the brain simultaneously. These parts are involved in emotions and memory, cognition and learning processes, and also in muscle control. [Neuroimage. 2012;59(4):3677-89.] As a result, music keeps a wide range of brain regions healthy.
