ORONO — University of Maine researchers are studying whether listening to music or learning to play an instrument could help older adults maintain cognitive function as they age.
The three-year study, led by Rebecca MacAulay, an associate professor of psychology at UMaine, is funded by the National Institute on Aging and will compare two 12-week music programs for adults with normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment.
If the approach proves successful, MacAulay said the program could eventually be offered through senior centers, libraries, retirement communities and other community organizations.
“I think it could be immense,” MacAulay said of the potential impact. “It’s something that could help people maintain cognitive abilities longer.”
The study will enroll 48 older adults, half with normal cognition and half with mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment involves changes in memory or thinking that are greater than expected with normal aging but are not severe enough to significantly interfere with daily life.
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One will learn to play the soprano recorder, while the other will participate in music listening and appreciation activities.
MacAulay said researchers expect both activities could provide benefits, though potentially in different ways.
“We really expect that people could get benefits in both groups,” MacAulay said. “We think the benefits are going to be different.”
How music may support brain health in older adults
Researchers will examine memory, attention, thinking skills, social connection and emotional well-being. They will also study cognitive control, including abilities such as multitasking, dividing attention and avoiding distractions.
Those abilities can decline with normal aging and may decline more sharply among people at risk of dementia, MacAulay said.
“The goal is helping people to maintain healthier brain function and social function as they get older,” she said.
Participants will complete testing before and after the 12-week programs. They will meet once a week in a group setting and complete activities at home between sessions.
Those in the music training group will receive a recorder and music stand. Participants in the music listening and appreciation group will receive digital music players and headphones for at-home activities.
No previous musical experience is required. People who already read music or play an instrument will not be eligible because researchers want participants without formal music training.
The recorder was chosen in part because it is inexpensive, portable and relatively easy for older adults to use.
“It’s portable and affordable,” MacAulay said.
The program uses a recorder with a fingering system that can be easier for people with limited finger dexterity, including those with arthritis. MacAulay said a recorder can cost about $10, making the program easier to expand if future research supports its use.
Social connection is another focus of the music study
The group setting is also an important part of the research.
In an earlier pilot study, participants frequently described social connection as an unexpected benefit. Some who were initially uncomfortable in social settings said the program helped them feel connected to people with similar interests.
MacAulay recalled receiving messages around Christmas from former participants who sent photos of themselves playing the recorder with their grandchildren.
“There’s something about jamming in a group,” MacAulay said. “You get that camaraderie.”
Social connection emerged as one of the top benefits reported in the pilot study, along with perceived improvements in attention and thinking, she said.
The new research builds on that pilot study, which suggested potential improvements in cognitive function but did not include a comparison group. The current randomized study will allow researchers to more carefully examine how different types of musical activity may affect participants.
MacAulay said music may engage the brain in several ways. Listening can stimulate areas involved in hearing, while learning to play an instrument also requires attention, movement and coordination.
“Music really is keeping the brain active in so many different ways,” she said.
Study could inform future Alzheimer’s and dementia research
Because the project is a feasibility study, its main goal is not to prove that either activity prevents dementia.
Instead, researchers will examine whether participants attend sessions, complete their activities, stay enrolled and learn the material. They will also determine whether their testing methods are sensitive enough to detect changes.
The findings could help researchers decide whether to move forward with a larger clinical trial.
The study is also notable for including older adults with mild cognitive impairment, a group sometimes excluded from similar research. Of the 48 participants, 24 will have normal cognition and 24 will have mild cognitive impairment.
That split will allow researchers to examine whether the programs affect the two groups differently.
MacAulay’s interest in the project began after she met Philip Edelman, director of UMaine’s School of Performing Arts at a faculty event. MacAulay studies cognitive aging, while Edelman brought expertise in music education.
Their conversations eventually led to a larger question: What happens when older adults with no musical background are taught to play an instrument?
Their early work also uncovered a practical challenge. Most beginner music materials are designed for children.
MacAulay and Edelman developed materials specifically for older adults, using larger visuals, more repetition and other adjustments intended to make learning more accessible.
UMaine researchers hope program could expand into communities
Those materials have since been organized into manuals that researchers hope could eventually allow community organizations to run the programs themselves.
“The idea is that we would disseminate this,” MacAulay said. “Really, if it is so, we could just turn this over. It’d be turnkey.”
Edelman is a co-investigator on the project. Shannon McCoy, a UMaine associate professor of psychology, is also a co-investigator and will serve as the study’s statistician.
Nathan Sprangers, a former UMaine student who studied in the School of Performing Arts and now teaches in the community, will lead the music instruction.
Researchers plan to hold the programs at community locations rather than requiring participants to travel to the UMaine campus, making it easier for more older adults to participate.
The first groups are expected to begin in the spring, with 12 participants in each study condition. A second round is planned for the fall, bringing total enrollment to 48.
The three-year project began in September and runs through August 2029. Researchers expect to begin analyzing outcomes toward the end of the study’s second year and use the findings to prepare for a larger trial.
Ultimately, MacAulay said the research is aimed not only at people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease but at supporting healthier aging more broadly.
“We really see this as being something that is for all older adults,” she said.