Music and the Aging Brain

Music and the Aging Brain describes brain functioning in aging and addresses the power of music to protect the brain from loss of function and how to cope with the ravages of brain diseases that accompany aging. By studying the power of music in aging through the lens of neuroscience, behavioral, and clinical science, the book explains brain organization and function. Written for those researching the brain and aging, the book provides solid examples of research fundamentals, including rigorous standards for sample selection, control groups, description of intervention activities, measures of health outcomes, statistical methods, and logically stated conclusions.

• Summarizes brain structures supporting music perception and cognition
• Examines and explains music as neuroprotective in normal aging
• Addresses the association of hearing loss to dementia
• Promotes a neurological approach for research in music as therapy
• Proposes questions for future research in music and aging

Lola Cuddy is Full Professor Emerita in the Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, where she founded and directed the Music Cognition Laboratory. Research interests include the perceptual, cognitive, and emotional processes involved in music appreciation and understanding. Recent work has focused on individual differences in musical and prosodic skills and sensitivities, and such topics as absolute pitch, tone deafness, effects of music lessons on nonmusical cognitive skills, musical dyslexia, aging and music, amusia following stroke, and sparing of musical memories in Alzheimer's Disease. She was editor of the flagship journal Music Perception (2002-2017) and is a current associate editor of Cognitive Processing.

Sylvie Belleville is Full professor at the Psychology Department of University of Montreal and Director of the Research Center of the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal. She is recognized for her work on the use of cognitive training to prevent age-related cognitive decline. She identified processes of compensation and plasticity in mild cognitive impairment using brain imaging techniques and also contributed to a better understanding of the neuropsychological deficits found in persons with very early signs of Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment. She published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair on the Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging and Brain Plasticity.

Aline Moussard is a neuropsychologist specialized in applied research related to the use of music as a tool for cognitive stimulation in healthy and clinical populations. She is also a project manager at the Research Center of the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, and is currently coordinating a multisite research project on dementia prevention that uses cognitive training and stimulating leisure activities (including music practice) to build and strengthen cognitive reserve in healthy older adults.