Lifelong music practice as reserve factor: Associations with cognition and brain structure in older adults

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundRegular music practice is suggested to be protective against age‐related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) 1. This study investigated associations between music making during the entire life, late‐life cognitive performance and gray matter (GM) structure in the DZNE‐Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE, DRKS‐ID: DRKS00007966).MethodCognitively unimpaired participants (age: ≥60 years including normal controls, participants with subjective cognitive decline, and first‐degree relatives of AD patients) were included in this study. Frequency of music practice over lifetime was self‐reported by each participant using the Lifetime of Experiences Questionnaire (LEQ 2). A group with regular lifelong music practice (n=72) was identified and compared to a control group (n=72) that did not practice any music during life. The control group was selected to match for age, sex, education, crystallized intelligence, socioeconomic status and diagnostic group. Multivariate analyses included group comparisons on late‐life cognition using composite scores 3, GM volumes in the entire cortex and in combined posterior AD regions (adjusted for TIV) and interaction effects.ResultLifelong music practice was associated with better late‐life performance in global cognition (Fig. 1, left side), working memory, and executive function (p’s < 0.05). A similar effect was not seen for episodic memory. No significant direct associations were found between lifelong music practice and GM volumes in the cortex and within AD regions. Global cognition (Fig. 1, right side), working memory, and executive functions were enhanced in those individuals with both lifelong music practice and greater cortical GM volume (p’s < 0.05).ConclusionRegular music making over life may help preserve late‐life cognitive performance in executive function and working memory, mirroring existing findings 4. This cognitive benefit appears to be related to superior ability to recruit brain resources, rather than greater brain reserve per se. Music practice could represent an enrichment strategy that may to a certain degree provide cognitive reserve in older age.