" . . . Indeed, considerable evidence suggests that the brains of older adults have the capacity for plasticity [
11]. For example, engagement in physical activity (e.g., aerobic exercise [
12,
13,
14]; non-aerobic exercise [
15]; ballet [
16]) and cognitively stimulating leisure activities (e.g., music [
17], dancing [
18], and chess [
19]) have been shown to benefit the aging brain and cognition, as well as to reduce the risk of dementia [
20]. Given the increasing aging population and the expected rise in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease over the next 40 years [
21], it is important to determine lifestyle factors that benefit the aging brain.
Musical practice has been found to benefit cognitive function and brain health in older adults [
17]. Musical training involves sensory systems, motor systems, and cognitive processes at multiple levels [
22,
23], and playing a musical instrument is associated with superior cognitive performance in older adults [
17,
24,
25]. Interestingly, the cognitive benefits of music in older adults extend beyond tasks related to musical skills to include cognitive processes such as executive function, attention, inhibition, memory, cognitive flexibility, spatial ability, and processing speed [
17]. Variables relating to musical practice, such as the intensity of the musical activity [
26], maintaining the practice into older age [
26,
27,
28], type of training [
26], training duration [
28], and earlier age of onset [
26,
27,
29] have also been found to play a role in cognitive sparing and improvements . . . "
Musical practice, including musical training and musical performance, has been found to benefit cognitive function in older adults. Less is known about the role of musical experiences on brain structure in older adults. The present study examined the ...
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