Playing instrument makes you smart

Playing a musical instrument can be used as a therapy for enhancing brain’s cognitive abilities. Even just starting to learn a musical instrument can changes the neurophysiology of the brain.

A new study has revealed that playing a musical instrument can be used as a therapy for enhancing brain’s cognitive abilities.

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It is a known fact that musicians have structurally and functionally different brains compared with non-musicians and areas of the brain used to process music are larger or more active in musicians.

Even just starting to learn a musical instrument can changes the neurophysiology of the brain.

Lead researcher Lutz Jancke, a member of Faculty of 1000 Medicine, proposes using music in neuropsychological therapy, for example to improve language skills, memory, or mood.

While writing in Faculty of 1000 Biology Reports, Jancke said that brain regions involved in music processing are also required for other tasks, such as memory or language skills.

"If music has such a strong influence on brain plasticity this raises the question of whether this effect can be used to enhance cognitive performance," Jancke added.

Several studies indeed show that musical practice increases memory and language skills, and Jäncke suggests expanding this field.

"Hopefully, the current trend in the use of musicians as a model for brain plasticity will continue ... and extend to the field of neuropsychological rehabilitation."