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. 2014 Jun;29(4):333-43.
doi: 10.1177/1533317513517048. Epub 2013 Dec 27.

Musical Training and Late-Life Cognition

Lori F Gooding  1 , Erin L Abner  2 , Gregory A Jicha  3 , Richard J Kryscio  4 , Fredrick A Schmitt  5
Affiliations

Musical Training and Late-Life Cognition

Lori F Gooding et al. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of early- to midlife musical training on cognition in older adults. A musical training survey examined self-reported musical experience and objective knowledge in 237 cognitively intact participants. Responses were classified into low-, medium-, and high-knowledge groups. Linear mixed models compared the groups' longitudinal performance on the Animal Naming Test (ANT; semantic verbal fluency) and Logical Memory Story A Immediate Recall (LMI; episodic memory) controlling for baseline age, time since baseline, education, sex, and full-scale IQ. Results indicate that high-knowledge participants had significantly higher LMI scores at baseline and over time compared to low-knowledge participants. The ANT scores did not differ among the groups. Ability to read music was associated with higher mean scores for both ANT and LMI over time. Early- to midlife musical training may be associated with improved late-life episodic and semantic memory as well as a useful marker of cognitive reserve.

Keywords: aging; cognitive reserve; memory; musical training.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Penalized B-spline smooth of the unadjusted average profiles for each latent class derived-musical knowledge group. Cognitive tests were administered annually. Shaded bands are 95% confidence limits (N = 237).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Penalized B-spline smooth of the unadjusted average profiles based on self-reported ability to read music. Cognitive tests were administered annually. Shaded bands are 95% confidence limits (N = 237).
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