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Can listening to music help protect your brain as you age?

In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks talks with Professor Joanne Ryan about her research on music, dementia risk, cognitive decline, and healthy aging.

Drawing on data from thousands of older adults participating in the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP), Professor Ryan discusses findings suggesting that frequent music engagement—including listening to music and playing a musical instrument—was associated with a lower risk of dementia and better cognitive outcomes over time.

The conversation explores:

• Whether listening to music can help reduce dementia risk
• How playing a musical instrument may affect brain health
• Proposed biological and cognitive mechanisms behind music's effects on the brain
• Music, memory, and why some people with dementia can still remember and perform music
• Whether certain types of music may be more beneficial than others
• The limitations of observational research and what questions still remain unanswered

If you've ever wondered whether your favorite playlist is doing more than entertaining you, this episode explores what the science currently says about music, memory, cognition, and the aging brain.

About Professor Joanne Ryan

Professor Joanne Ryan is a Principal Research Fellow and leader of the Biological Neuropsychiatry and Dementia research team at Monash University in Australia. Her research focuses on understanding the causes, prevention, and early detection of neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly dementia and depression.

Her team investigates biological, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors that influence brain health and works to identify preventive strategies that may reduce the incidence of dementia and cognitive decline. The group also studies biomarkers that may improve the timing and accuracy of diagnosis and help evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. 

Professor Ryan has published extensively on aging, cognition, dementia risk factors, mental health, and preventive approaches to healthy brain aging.

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