A new study published in Human Brain Mapping suggests that regular participation in choir singing can improve brain health by enhancing the structure of white matter, the part of the brain responsible for communication between different regions. The study indicates that choir singing might support brain health from young adulthood through old age.
Previous research has shown that musical activities benefit brain health by improving both the structure and function of the brain. These improvements are believed to help counteract age-related cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia. Music engages multiple areas of the brain and has been found to enhance memory, processing speed, and executive function. Given these findings, scientists have been eager to explore how musical activities might be used as tools to maintain cognitive health, especially in older populations.
With the global population aging at a rapid pace, finding cost-effective, enjoyable, and accessible ways to maintain brain health is increasingly important. Choir singing, which combines musical engagement with social interaction, has garnered attention as a promising activity that could enhance cognitive health. Not only is it an accessible hobby that doesn’t require expensive equipment or prior training, but group singing has also been shown to improve quality of life, mood, and social connections, particularly among older adults.
To investigate the potential brain benefits of choir singing, a research team led by Nella Moisseinen from the University of Helsinki in Finland conducted a study to explore whether amateur-level choir singing could support brain health and cognitive function across different age groups. Unlike previous research that often focused on instrumental music or professional musicians, this study examined the effects of non-professional choir singing.
The study recruited 95 healthy adults ranging in age from 21 to 88 years, ensuring a broad representation of the adult lifespan. Advanced neuroimaging techniques were used to measure the participants’ brain structures, focusing on white matter and gray matter. White matter consists of bundles of nerve fibers that connect different regions of the brain, facilitating communication. Gray matter, on the other hand, is involved in functions such as muscle control, sensory perception, and decision-making.
The participants were divided into three age groups: young adults (20–39 years), middle-aged adults (40–59 years), and older adults (60 years and above). Each participant’s choir singing experience was recorded in terms of both the number of years they had participated and the frequency of their involvement. The researchers then analyzed how the duration of choir singing was associated with the structural integrity of white matter and gray matter across the different age groups.
Choir singing was linked to significant improvements in white matter connectivity, particularly in the corpus callosum, a crucial structure that connects the brain’s two hemispheres. This region plays a vital role in ensuring smooth communication between the brain’s left and right sides, which is important for cognitive functions such as language processing, motor coordination, and memory.
The improvements in the corpus callosum were seen across all age groups, but they were most pronounced in older adults. This finding is important because white matter often declines with age, and strengthening this brain structure could help protect against cognitive decline in later life.
In addition to the corpus callosum, enhancements in the white matter of the fornix were also observed. The fornix is a bundle of nerve fibers that is critical for memory function, as it connects the hippocampus, a key memory center, with other brain regions. Interestingly, this effect was only found in the older adults, suggesting that choir singing might have a particularly protective effect on memory-related brain structures as people age.
One notable aspect of the study was its finding that choir singing did not have a significant impact on gray matter volume. This null result might be explained by the fact that white matter and gray matter age differently and respond to environmental factors like music in distinct ways. Gray matter, which handles sensory perception and higher-order functions like decision-making, might not be as sensitive to the kind of musical engagement provided by choir singing, or the measurement techniques used in this study may not have been sensitive enough to detect subtle changes in gray matter.
It should be noted that the study has some limitations. For instance, the cross-sectional design limits the ability to infer causality, meaning it cannot definitively say that choir singing causes the observed brain changes. For instance, it’s possible that people with healthier brains might be more inclined to engage in musical activities like choir singing, rather than choir singing directly causing improvements in brain health.
Despite the caveats, Moisseinen and her team emphasized that their findings still provide important evidence that choir singing could be a valuable tool for maintaining brain health as people age. “The present study provides the first evidence of an association between choir singing and enhanced white matter microstructure at the whole-brain level across a large age range,” they wrote. The study supports the growing body of research suggesting that engaging in musical activities can offer a range of cognitive and emotional benefits, particularly in older adulthood.
The researchers also pointed out that choir singing is an accessible and low-cost activity that could easily be adopted by individuals or communities as a way to promote brain health. Given its dual benefits of musical engagement and social interaction, choir singing may be an especially effective way to preserve cognitive function and enhance quality of life in aging populations. Further research will be needed to explore the full range of benefits that musical activities like choir singing can offer, but this study provides a promising starting point for understanding how such activities can help maintain brain health well into old age.
The study, “Choir singing is associated with enhanced structural connectivity across the adult lifespan,” was authored by Nella Moisseinen, Lotta Ahveninen, Noelia Martínez-Molina, Viljami Sairanen, Susanna Melkas, Boris Kleber, Aleksi J. Sihvonen, and Teppo Särkämö.
