Older people remember music just as well as younger people, but some parts of their brains have to work harder to compensate for the decline in others, a study published in the journal Nature shows. Nature Communication Biology.
In the experiment, 76 volunteers underwent brain scans while they listened to pieces by Johann Bach. When they listened to the song a second time, older adults showed more activity in sensory areas of their brains than younger adults, while areas related to memory were less active. Moreover, in general, older people did not remember the melody worse than younger people.
“This suggests that in older adults, sensory areas of the brain are working harder to compensate for the diminished response from areas typically involved in memory formation,” the scientists explained.
The study highlights that aging is more than just a decline in brain function. The body can adapt to the decreasing efficiency of some areas by forcing others to work harder.
In the long term, this study will help to better understand changes in dementia. The scientists plan to include people with mild memory impairment in the next phase of the study.
Earlier scientists to create a new sign of cellular aging.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.