Music-lovers can create tracks with increasing ease.
Now, a study at Northeastern University has shown that music can stimulate the brain’s nerve pathways, having a positive impact on cognitive illnesses and dementia.
This is particularly true for music we choose ourselves, and which we listened to as teenagers.
In a recent test, cognitively healthy older adults were asked to create both an ‘energising’ and a ‘relaxing’ playlist.
Over eight weeks, they listened intently to their playlists for an hour a day, making a note of their feelings as they went.
A comparison of brain scans before and after showed that neural bonds had been strengthened. Particularly in regions responsible for hearing and rewarding.
Also helpful: this hearing aid.
