Overview
- The ASPREE/ALSOP analysis followed more than 10,800 Australians aged 70 and older for roughly a decade.
- Older adults who listened to music most days had a 39% lower incidence of dementia than those who rarely listened.
- Playing a musical instrument was also associated with benefit, with about a 35% lower risk reported.
- About 7,000 participants reported near-daily listening, and this group showed the strongest reductions in risk.
- Experts suggest music engages motor, sensory and emotional brain networks, though exposures were self-reported and reverse causation remains possible.