The physical and mental dexterity needed to master a musical instrument has long been associated with improved cognitive performance. But now, researchers at the University of Edinburgh have demonstrated it can also delay the mental decline associated with ageing.

长期以来，人们一直认为精通一种乐器所需的身体和思维灵敏度与认知能力的提高有关。但现在，爱丁堡大学的研究人员们已经证明精通乐器还有可能延缓与衰老相关的智力衰退。

The team tested more than 400 people from the Lothian birth cohort, a long-term study group set up in 1936, and found significantly higher levels of performance in both mental processing speed and visuospatial reasoning for those in their seventies and early eighties, who'd learnt to play an instrument in their youth.

该团队对英国洛锡安地区出生人口队列中的400名调查对象进行了测试，这个长期追踪研究组于1936年设立，跟踪研究发现在目前70多岁和80岁出头的人群中，儿时学过乐器的人大脑处理信息的速度和视觉空间推理方面的表现都更好。

The results held up even when educational attainment and economic status were taken into account, and begs the question, could learning to play an instrument in later life have a similarly positive impact on ageing?

即便是将研究对象的受教育程度和经济状况纳入考虑因素，上述研究结果依然成立，这就引出了一个的问题：长大后开始学习乐器是否会对衰老产生类似的积极影响？

The researchers are now appealing for people who've only started to play an instrument as adults to take part in a new study.

为此，这些研究人员正在寻找成年后才开始学习演奏乐器的人来参与一项新的研究。

词汇表

dexterity 灵敏度
master 精通，掌握
cognitive performance 认知表现，认知能力
mental decline 认知能力衰退
cohort 人口队列，（有共同特点的）一群人
set up 设立
mental processing speed 大脑处理信息的速度
visuospatial reasoning 视觉空间推理
held up （理论）成立，站得住脚
attainment 获得
begs the question 引出问题，不得不问