The study was carried out at Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University in collaboration with researchers from University of Oxford. A total of 76 participants were brain scanned while listening to a piano piece by Johann Sebastian Bach, which they had heard twice beforehand.

The study showed that when older individuals listen to familiar music, sensory-related areas of the brain become extra active, while the regions responsible for memory function are less active.

Leonardo Bonetti explains: "This suggests that the sensory areas of older brains work harder to compensate for the reduced response from the areas typically involved in memory processes. Our study emphasizes that changes in brain functionality do not necessarily lead to disease or dysfunction. Ageing is not just about having a declining brain, but about having a brain that adapts to challenges and compensates for mechanisms that become less effective."

The exciting results have received media attention both nationally and internationally:

BBC podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0jjr8hn

Sundshedspolitisk Tidsskrift: https://sundhedspolitisktidsskrift.dk/nyheder/helbred/9241-aeldres-hjerner-kompenserer-for-alderen-husker-musik-lige-sa-godt-som-unge.html

University of Oxford: https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/music-helps-to-highlights-areas-of-brain-affected-by-aging-new-study

Aarhus University: https://health.au.dk/en/display/artikel/musik-kan-vise-hvilke-omraader-af-hjernen-der-er-paavirket-af-aldring

BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74lmpl8nnvo

The original paper can be read here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06587-7