Scientists find musical link to boosting brain function for life

Learning to play a musical instrument can protect your brain from aging, building up a defense against cognitive decline that lasts a lifetime. Researchers from Canada and China discovered older adults who had spent years playing music were better at understanding speech in noisy environments, like a crowded room, compared to those who didn't play music. Their brains worked more like younger people's brains, needing less energy to focus than older non-musicians' brains had to use to make up for age-related mental declines. Playing music was found to build up a person's'cognitive reserve,' which is like a backup system in the brain. This reserve helps the brain stay efficient and work more like a younger brain, even as someone grows older.