Recent Innovations in Psychology

Recent Innovations in Psychology

Comparison of Cognitive Performance in Elderly Individuals With and Without a History of Music Training

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Elham Kishi 1
Majid Azizi 2
1 MSc. in Clinical Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran,
2 Ph.D. student in Health Psychology,, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/rip.2025.495572.1075
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the impact of music training on the cognitive performance of elderly individuals. The research design was descriptive and of a causal-comparative type. A total of 35 elderly individuals with a history of music training and 35 without any prior music training were selected through purposive sampling. The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R) was used to collect data. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a significant difference between the two groups—those with a history of music training and those without—in terms of overall cognitive performance, as well as in the domains of attention, memory, verbal fluency, language, and visuospatial function (P < 0.01). The group with a history of music training exhibited higher mean scores across all cognitive functions. It appears that music-related activities can be considered as potential strategies for enhancing and maintaining cognitive performance in the elderly. Based on these findings, music training can be recommended as an effective tool for improving cognitive function in older adults.
Keywords
aging
executive functions
language

References

Anaya, E. M., Pisoni, D. B., & Kronenberger, W. G. (2017). Visual-spatial sequence learning and memory in trained musicians. Psychology of Music, 45(1), 5-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735616638942

Brownrigg, J., & Thompson, S. (2021). Early Eardley. The British Art Journal, 22(3), 64-79. URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/48736161

Burks, H. B., des Bordes, J. K., Chadha, R., Holmes, H. M., & Rianon, N. J. (2021). Quality of life assessment in older adults with dementia: A systematic review. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders, 50(2), 103-110. https://doi.org/10.1159/000515317

Burns, A. (2020). Citicoline in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke: An international, randomised, multicentre, placebo-controlled study (ICTUS trial). The lancet, 396(10248), 413-446. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6

Eardley, M. (2021). “Terrestrial Not by Nature and Essence”: The Acclimatization Chamber as Surface Technology in South Africa, ca. 1958. Grey Room, (84), 64-85. URL: https://h7.cl/1lbzm

Fan, X., Gan, R., Liu, J., Xie, Y., Xu, D., Xiang, Y., . . . Hou, J. (2021). Adsorption and desorption behaviors of antibiotics by tire wear particles and polyethylene microplastics with or without aging processes. Science of the Total Environment, 771, 145451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145451

Foubert-Samier, A., Catheline, G., Amieva, H., Dilharreguy, B., Helmer, C., Allard, M., & Dartigues, J.-F. (2012). Education, occupation, leisure activities, and brain reserve: a population-based study. Neurobiology of aging, 33(2), 423. e415-423. e425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.09.023

Frischen, U., Schwarzer, G., & Degé, F. (2022). Music training and executive functions in adults and children: what role do hot executive functions play? Zeitschrift Für Erziehungswissenschaft, 25(3), 551-578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-022-01103-1

Gooding, L. F., Abner, E. L., Jicha, G. A., Kryscio, R. J., & Schmitt, F. A. (2014). Musical training and late-life cognition. American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias, 29(4), 333-343. https://doi.org/10.1177/1533317513517048

Hanna-Pladdy, B., & Mackay, A. (2021). The influence of musical experience on cognitive aging: A review of the literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 602211. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021895

Harvey, A. R. (2020). Links between the neurobiology of oxytocin and human musicality. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 14, 350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00350

Kim, H. J., Yang, Y., Oh, J. G., Oh, S., Choi, H., Kim, K. H., & Kim, S. H. (2016). Effectiveness of a community‐based multidomain cognitive intervention program in patients with A lzheimer's disease. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 16(2), 191-199. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.12453

Kim, S. J., Park, J.-K., & Yeo, M. S. (2022). Dual-task-based music therapy to improve executive functioning of elderly patients with early stage alzheimer’s disease: a multiple case study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 11940.https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911940

Linnavalli, T., Putkinen, V., Lipsanen, J., Huotilainen, M., & Tervaniemi, M. (2018). Music playschool enhances children’s linguistic skills. Scientific reports, 8(1), 8767. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/11940#

Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A., Ames, D., Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., . . . Cooper, C. (2020). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. The lancet, 396(10248), 413-446. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6

Mahmoud alilou, M., Parvaz, S., Khanjani, Z., & Hashemi, T. (2019). Validation of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) in Alzheimer’s disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment. EBNESINA, 21(1), 44-50 (In Persian). http://dx.doi.org/10.22034/21.1.44

Meyer, J., Oguz, P. G., & Moore, K. S. (2020). Superior fluid cognition in trained musicians. Psychology of Music, 48(3), 434-447. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618808089

Mioshi, E., Dawson, K., Mitchell, J., Arnold, R., & Hodges, J. R. (2006). The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE‐R): a brief cognitive test battery for dementia screening. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: A journal of the psychiatry of late life and allied sciences, 21(11), 1078-1085. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.1610

Patel, A. D.,Chen, W. G., Iversen, J. R., Kao, M. H., Loui, P., Zatorre, R. J., & Edwards, E. (2022). Music and brain circuitry: strategies for strengthening evidence-based research for music-based interventions. Journal of Neuroscience, 42(45), 8498-8507. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1135-22.2022

Pentikäinen, E., Kimppa, L., Pitkäniemi, A., Lahti, O., & Särkämö, T. (2023). Longitudinal effects of choir singing on aging cognition and wellbeing: a two-year follow-up study. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 17, 1174574. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1174574

Renusree, J., Kumar, M. A., & Varghese, E. R. (2023). Effect of leisure activities in groups to improve quality of life among Geriatric population. International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences, 10(2), 164-174.http://dx.doi.org/10.22192/ijarbs.2023.10.02.017

Ribeiro, F. S., & Santos, F. H. (2020). Persistent effects of musical training on mathematical skills of children with developmental dyscalculia. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 2888. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02888

Ries, J. D. (2018). Rehabilitation for individuals with dementia: facilitating success. Current Geriatrics Reports, 7, 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13670-018-0237-1

Rogers, F., & Metzler-Baddeley, C. (2024). The effects of musical instrument training on fluid intelligence and executive functions in healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain and Cognition, 175, 106137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106137

Toader, C., Tataru, C. P., Florian, I.-A., Covache-Busuioc, R.-A., Bratu, B.-G., Glavan, L. A., . . . Ciurea, A. V. (2023). Cognitive Crescendo: How Music Shapes the Brain’s Structure and Function. Brain sciences, 13(10), 1390. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/10/1390#

Walsh, S., Causer, R., & Brayne, C. (2021). Does playing a musical instrument reduce the incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Aging & mental health, 25(4), 593-601.https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2019.1699019

Wöbbeking-Sánchez, M., Bonete-López, B., Cabaco, A. S., Urchaga-Litago, J. D., & Afonso, R. M. (2020). Relationship between cognitive reserve and cognitive impairment in autonomous and institutionalized older adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), 5777. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/16/5777#

World Health Organization (WHO). (2022). The Challenges of Aging: A Global Perspective.URL: https://h7.cl/1gi9q

Xu, H., Yang, R., Qi, X., Dintica, C., Song, R., Bennett, D. A., & Xu, W. (2019). Association of lifespan cognitive reserve indicator with dementia risk in the presence of brain pathologies. Jama Neurology, 76(10), 1184-1191. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.2455

Xue, B., Meng, X., Liu, Q., & Luo, X. (2023). The effect of receptive music therapy on older adults with mild cognitive impairment and depression: a randomized controlled trial. Scientific reports, 13(1), 22159. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49162-6

References
Anaya, E. M., Pisoni, D. B., & Kronenberger, W. G. (2017). Visual-spatial sequence learning and memory in trained musicians. Psychology of Music, 45(1), 5-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735616638942
Brownrigg, J., & Thompson, S. (2021). Early Eardley. The British Art Journal, 22(3), 64-79. URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/48736161
Burks, H. B., des Bordes, J. K., Chadha, R., Holmes, H. M., & Rianon, N. J. (2021). Quality of life assessment in older adults with dementia: A systematic review. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders, 50(2), 103-110. https://doi.org/10.1159/000515317
Burns, A. (2020). Citicoline in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke: An international, randomised, multicentre, placebo-controlled study (ICTUS trial). The lancet, 396(10248), 413-446. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6
Eardley, M. (2021). “Terrestrial Not by Nature and Essence”: The Acclimatization Chamber as Surface Technology in South Africa, ca. 1958. Grey Room, (84), 64-85. URL: https://h7.cl/1lbzm
Fan, X., Gan, R., Liu, J., Xie, Y., Xu, D., Xiang, Y., . . . Hou, J. (2021). Adsorption and desorption behaviors of antibiotics by tire wear particles and polyethylene microplastics with or without aging processes. Science of the Total Environment, 771, 145451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145451
Foubert-Samier, A., Catheline, G., Amieva, H., Dilharreguy, B., Helmer, C., Allard, M., & Dartigues, J.-F. (2012). Education, occupation, leisure activities, and brain reserve: a population-based study. Neurobiology of aging, 33(2), 423. e415-423. e425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.09.023
Frischen, U., Schwarzer, G., & Degé, F. (2022). Music training and executive functions in adults and children: what role do hot executive functions play? Zeitschrift Für Erziehungswissenschaft, 25(3), 551-578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-022-01103-1
Gooding, L. F., Abner, E. L., Jicha, G. A., Kryscio, R. J., & Schmitt, F. A. (2014). Musical training and late-life cognition. American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias, 29(4), 333-343. https://doi.org/10.1177/1533317513517048
Hanna-Pladdy, B., & Mackay, A. (2021). The influence of musical experience on cognitive aging: A review of the literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 602211. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021895
Harvey, A. R. (2020). Links between the neurobiology of oxytocin and human musicality. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 14, 350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00350
Kim, H. J., Yang, Y., Oh, J. G., Oh, S., Choi, H., Kim, K. H., & Kim, S. H. (2016). Effectiveness of a community‐based multidomain cognitive intervention program in patients with A lzheimer's disease. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 16(2), 191-199. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.12453
Kim, S. J., Park, J.-K., & Yeo, M. S. (2022). Dual-task-based music therapy to improve executive functioning of elderly patients with early stage alzheimer’s disease: a multiple case study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 11940.https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911940
Linnavalli, T., Putkinen, V., Lipsanen, J., Huotilainen, M., & Tervaniemi, M. (2018). Music playschool enhances children’s linguistic skills. Scientific reports, 8(1), 8767. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/11940#
Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A., Ames, D., Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., . . . Cooper, C. (2020). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. The lancet, 396(10248), 413-446. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6
Mahmoud alilou, M., Parvaz, S., Khanjani, Z., & Hashemi, T. (2019). Validation of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) in Alzheimer’s disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment. EBNESINA, 21(1), 44-50 (In Persian). http://dx.doi.org/10.22034/21.1.44
Meyer, J., Oguz, P. G., & Moore, K. S. (2020). Superior fluid cognition in trained musicians. Psychology of Music, 48(3), 434-447. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618808089
Mioshi, E., Dawson, K., Mitchell, J., Arnold, R., & Hodges, J. R. (2006). The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE‐R): a brief cognitive test battery for dementia screening. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: A journal of the psychiatry of late life and allied sciences, 21(11), 1078-1085. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.1610
Patel, A. D.,Chen, W. G., Iversen, J. R., Kao, M. H., Loui, P., Zatorre, R. J., & Edwards, E. (2022). Music and brain circuitry: strategies for strengthening evidence-based research for music-based interventions. Journal of Neuroscience, 42(45), 8498-8507. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1135-22.2022
Pentikäinen, E., Kimppa, L., Pitkäniemi, A., Lahti, O., & Särkämö, T. (2023). Longitudinal effects of choir singing on aging cognition and wellbeing: a two-year follow-up study. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 17, 1174574. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1174574
Renusree, J., Kumar, M. A., & Varghese, E. R. (2023). Effect of leisure activities in groups to improve quality of life among Geriatric population. International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences, 10(2), 164-174.http://dx.doi.org/10.22192/ijarbs.2023.10.02.017
Ribeiro, F. S., & Santos, F. H. (2020). Persistent effects of musical training on mathematical skills of children with developmental dyscalculia. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 2888. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02888
Ries, J. D. (2018). Rehabilitation for individuals with dementia: facilitating success. Current Geriatrics Reports, 7, 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13670-018-0237-1
Rogers, F., & Metzler-Baddeley, C. (2024). The effects of musical instrument training on fluid intelligence and executive functions in healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain and Cognition, 175, 106137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106137
Toader, C., Tataru, C. P., Florian, I.-A., Covache-Busuioc, R.-A., Bratu, B.-G., Glavan, L. A., . . . Ciurea, A. V. (2023). Cognitive Crescendo: How Music Shapes the Brain’s Structure and Function. Brain sciences, 13(10), 1390. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/10/1390#
Walsh, S., Causer, R., & Brayne, C. (2021). Does playing a musical instrument reduce the incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Aging & mental health, 25(4), 593-601.https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2019.1699019
Wöbbeking-Sánchez, M., Bonete-López, B., Cabaco, A. S., Urchaga-Litago, J. D., & Afonso, R. M. (2020). Relationship between cognitive reserve and cognitive impairment in autonomous and institutionalized older adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), 5777. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/16/5777#
World Health Organization (WHO). (2022). The Challenges of Aging: A Global Perspective.URL: https://h7.cl/1gi9q
Xu, H., Yang, R., Qi, X., Dintica, C., Song, R., Bennett, D. A., & Xu, W. (2019). Association of lifespan cognitive reserve indicator with dementia risk in the presence of brain pathologies. Jama Neurology, 76(10), 1184-1191. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.2455
Xue, B., Meng, X., Liu, Q., & Luo, X. (2023). The effect of receptive music therapy on older adults with mild cognitive impairment and depression: a randomized controlled trial. Scientific reports, 13(1), 22159. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49162-6

  • Receive Date 15 December 2024
  • Revise Date 10 January 2025
  • Accept Date 14 January 2025
  • First Publish Date 18 January 2025