[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9464\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBoosting brain function in later life through singing   \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Teppo S\u00e4rk\u00e4m\u00f6 is studying how ageing affects the way singing is processed by the brain, which could have important therapeutic applications. \u2018We know a lot about speech processing, but not much about singing. We\u2019re exploring how different singing related functions might be preserved in many neurological diseases,\u2019 he explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor people with aphasia, a condition which severely impairs communication and is commonly caused by stroke, communication can be almost impossible as they struggle to sound out the right words. Yet, through a technique known as \u2018melodic intonation therapy\u2019 \u2013 whereby people are asked to sing an everyday sentence instead of speaking it \u2013 quite incredibly they often find a voice.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ECoordinator of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/803466\/\u0022\u003EPREMUS\u003C\/a\u003E project, Prof S\u00e4rk\u00e4m\u00f6 and his team are using similar methods, scaling-up the approach through specially-run \u2018senior choirs\u2019 that involve aphasic patients and their families. The scientists are exploring how singing could play an important rehabilitative role for cases of aphasia and might prevent cognitive decline too.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHitting the right notes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe PREMUS study is coordinated with a local aphasia organisation in Helsinki and involves around 25 people per choir, both aphasia patients and their family caregivers. Results of the trial show encouraging results.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Ultimately, the aim through our work with persons with aphasia is to use singing as a tool to train speech production and eventually enable them to communicate without singing. But through the choirs we are beginning to see how this approach is translating to people\u2019s daily life as an important communication tool,\u2019 said S\u00e4rk\u00e4m\u00f6.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAlongside an aphasia choir, the team has also carried out extensive fMRI brain scans of young, middle aged and older adults who participate in choirs to understand why singing is so important at different life stages. Their results indicate that as we age, the brain networks involved in singing undergo fewer changes than those that process speech, suggesting that singing is more widespread in the brain and more resilient to ageing.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EUltimately, the aim through our work with persons with aphasia is to use singing as a tool to train speech production and eventually enable them to communicate without singing.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Teppo S\u00e4rk\u00e4m\u00f6 (PREMUS)\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir studies also suggest that being actively engaged in singing, as opposed to listening to choral music for example, is crucial. \u2018When you\u2019re singing, you are engaging in the frontal and parietal systems in the brain where you regulate your own behaviour, and you use more of your motor and cognitive resources in terms of vocal control and executive functions,\u2019 said S\u00e4rk\u00e4m\u00f6.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nEarly results from a longitudinal study, which compared neurocognitive functioning between members of senior choirs and healthy older adults (who do not sing) showed the positive effects of singing on cognitive and auditory functioning and the importance of the social interaction it brings, which may help delay the onset of dementia.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EChoir members performed better in neuropsychological tests, reported fewer cognitive difficulties, and had higher social integration. Electroencephalogram measurements of the same groups suggest that the choir singers had more advanced higher-level auditory processing abilities, especially for combining pitch and location information in frontotemporal brain regions, something S\u00e4rk\u00e4m\u00f6 attributes to the complexity of the sound environment in choir singing.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe next step will be to replicate and expand this work with senior choirs for patients diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s and to develop a large-scale clinical trial to test the effect. The challenge, however, is likely to be different with Alzheimer\u2019s: whereas patients may remember songs from their past, S\u00e4rk\u00e4m\u00f6 is unsure to what extent they can learn and retain new lyrics.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHe is both optimistic and realistic about this work. \u2018This is all about trying to stimulate the remaining networks in the brain. We believe singing could help to regain some of those functions, but of course with Alzheimer\u2019s it\u2019s a brutal, progressive disorder so it\u2019s a matter of buying more time and trying to slow down the pattern of decline happening already.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESame song sheet\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESomeone else firmly focused on responding to the challenges of an ageing population is Christian A. Drevon, Professor of medicine at the University of Oslo (Norway). Drevon is a specialist in biomarkers and is now using his expertise to understand the different factors affecting neurocognitive function in the EU-funded \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/732592\u0022\u003ELifebrain\u003C\/a\u003E project.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2019Most studies about Alzheimer\u2019s are cross-sectional where you take a group of people, look at a certain time and associate certain things with those who have the disease and those who don\u2019t,\u2019 he explained. \u2018However, this is often not causal; you can\u2019t tell if it\u2019s the reason for the disease or if it\u2019s just a consequence of it.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ETo really understand what\u2019s happening with Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia, data are needed for individuals spanning periods both when they are healthy and when they are not, to tease apart what has gone wrong. Unpicking this question is the primary aim of Lifebrain, coordinated by psychologists Professors Kristine Walhovd and Anders Fjell.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBy pooling pre-existing MRI brain scan data from people right across Europe, the Lifebrain project has analysed the significance of a range of different factors on cognition when we age and how this might vary between individuals.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ETo analyse over 40 000 brain scans from more than 5 000 people aged 1880 across seven countries, the first challenge was to harmonise the data. Do MRI scans in Sweden and Spain produce the same results? To ensure they do, Lifebrain sent eight participants around Europe to be scanned and to adjust equipment accordingly.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAll psychological tests (including cognitive tests) and other collected data (body weight; demographic; genetic; and lifestyle data, including sleep and diet) were harmonised.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ENext, the team linked MRI data with additional databases which uncovered new insights about how where you live and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5607225\/\u0022\u003Ewhat access you have to green space\u003C\/a\u003E might help lower dementia risk. Conversely, it also helped to reveal how \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.lifebrain.uio.no\/publications\/scientific%20articles\/education.html\u0022\u003Eeducation\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/sleep\/article\/43\/5\/zsz280\/5628807\u0022\u003Esleep\u003C\/a\u003E may be less important for future risk of dementia than previously assumed.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Lots of studies have claimed education is really important for reducing the risk of dementia. But if you follow people longitudinally through life there\u2019s actually no association,\u2019 said Drevon. \u2018That doesn\u2019t mean education isn\u2019t important; it means it\u2019s probably not true that education will prevent you from developing dementia. We have to search for other factors of importance.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EGiven the expense of MRIs, Drevon suggests tiny blood samples (dried blood spots) could be taken by finger-prick without professional support to provide individual insights in the future. Analysed in an advanced laboratory like \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.vitas.no\u0022\u003EVitas Ltd\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 Lifebrain partner - this could be a game-changer in providing tailored, online advice about individual risks.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you really want to improve lifestyle, you probably have to personalise it. You have to measure several factors on an individual level across the life course,\u2019 he said. \u2018Our best chance of fighting cognitive decline and dementia will come from early preventative measures using this lifespan data approach.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWork out songs\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn time Prof Drevon hopes these personalised insights could help delay or potentially eradicate certain aspects of dementia. In the meantime, what about singing to stave off cognitive decline as proposed by S\u00e4rk\u00e4m\u00f6 through the PREMUS project? Does he agree singing could be an important preventative step?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Well, the brain is like a muscle. If you train it, you make it fit. If you use your brain for singing, it\u2019s about remembering. Of course, there are other ways of training the brain, but singing is a very good example of how you can help to improve brain function.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ch5\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s European Research Council. 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