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Learning an instrument may help ‘slow the progression’ of Dementia, neurological clinician says
Learning a second language or a musical instrument and practicing or playing regularly helps slow the progression of neurodegenerative disorders like dementia and Alzheimers disease, according to a neurologic rehabilitation clinician. Other factors affect the likelihood youll develop a brain disorder, and some are beyond our control. But there are certain things you can do to set yourself up with the best chances of long-term brain health.
The Focus spoke to Dr Maesaka about the benefits of learning a musical instrument or a second language, specifically concerning developing and maintaining neuroplasticity. Dr Maesaka calls neuroplasticity arguably the greatest neuroscience discovery in the last 30 years, and says that, while its hard to answer definitively whether learning music early in life will prevent neurodegenerative conditions from developing, it can reshape how the brain functions as its most basic level. And this is fundamentally good for brain health.�
Train your brain for good health when it comes to Dementia
Neurodegenerative conditions like dementia, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and multiple sclerosis subtract proteins from brain tissue, says Dr Maesaka.
Taking part in activities that challenge the brain, such as learning new skills that require mental agility and complex thought, adds proteins. In simple terms, activities like these are constructive, and counterbalance the subtractive effects of conditions like dementia.
This is the concept of neuroplasticity, Dr Maesaka calls arguably the greatest neuroscience discovery in the last 30 years. �
For example, in the case of frontotemporal dementia, a particular type of protein breaks off from neurons in the brain and becomes tangled in nearby tissues. Meanwhile, the brain begins to shrink as a result of its subtractive processes.
The cognitive processes and repetition involved in learning a language or a musical instrument creates genes, Dr Maesaka says, which create proteins, and reshape how the brain functions at its most basic level.
Music is especially helpful because it affects so many parts of the brain
Music may be the oldest art form in humanitys inventory.
One of the reasons music is helpful for the brain, says Dr Maesaka, is because it uses so many regions simultaneously.
It stimulates the motor cortex which helps your fingers and feet move, the auditory cortex which helps identify pitch and tone, and the cerebellum which helps stay on beat. All of these systems being challenged together makes for a rich environment for proteins to be added, thus slowing the progression of degeneration.
WebMD adds that of all our memories, musical ones are often the ones people with Alzheimers or dementia hold onto for the longest. They go untouched, making music that much stronger of a treatment option.
Listening to music theyre familiar with helps those with Alzheimers maintain a grasp on their experiences and identities. Music therapy makes it easier for them to keep a hold of reality and the things that bring them joy. �
But sometimes genetic expression wins over everything
In other words, if youre genetically predisposed to developing a neurodegenerative condition, picking up the guitar or hopping on Duolingo is unlikely to make much of a dent.
Sometimes genetic expression wins over everything, Dr Maesaks warns.
However, lifestyle factors like how you use and challenge your brain can slow the progression and expand the number of livable years during the disease process.
Similarly, learning a language exercises several large lobes of the brain the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes all work together to produce speech, Dr Maesaka says. Challenging these brain areas by learning a new language lets your body know it needs to work hard to maintain these areas of the brain, and ensures consistent delivery of new connections, blood, oxygen.
While its hard to say definitively whether learning a musical instrument during early or midlife will prevent neurodegenerative conditions from developing, Dr Maesaka encourages preventively strengthening, especially of the areas that break down with such disorders.�
Other key factors include getting adequate nutrition, having a genetic predisposition, viral load, and general lifestyle. Avoid bacon and deli meats, according to one study. But learning an instrument or a second language builds cognitive resilience and neuroplasticity, and can slow the degeneration of the brain tissue.
Dr Thompson Maesaka runs The Neural Connection, a neurologic rehabilitation clinic in Edina, Minnesota. He works with brain injuries and patients with cognitive decline and uses music as a tool to help with the rehab process.
