Bhautik Patel which areas of the brain are affected by ageing, according to a new study. Researchers are using 300-year-old compositions by , along with state-of-the-art scanning technology, to investigate how the brain compensates for age-related changes. The findings show that senior citizens are just as capable as younger people of remembering — but certain parts of their brains must work harder.
The research team hope the study will help to indicate the chances of developing dementia in older people. The study, published in the journal , is unusual because it combines classical music and neurophysiology to map the changes that occur in the brain with age. A total of 76 participants - 37 young adults, aged 18 to 25, and 39 people over the age of 60 - underwent brain scans while listening to a piano piece by German composer and organist, which they had heard twice beforehand.
The study, by researchers at along with researchers from the University of Oxford, shows that when older people listen to familiar music, sensory-related areas of the brain become extra active, while the regions responsible for memory function are less active. Study leader Professor Leonardo Bonetti, from the , said: "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. Marius Masalar "The study emphasizes that changes in brain functionality do not necessarily lead to disease or dysfunction.
"Age.