Pratique musicale et plasticité cérébrale : l'expertise musicale permet-elle de se préserver du vieillissement neurocognitif ?

Abstract

The intelligence of an organism expresses itself, in particular by its ability to understand the environment and cope with its requests. This function is subserved by the high plastic properties of the brain where the anatomy of areas responsible for our regular behaviour is shaped to become more efficient. During development and aging, the quality of our mental processes also depends on the interaction between physiological maturation and our own experience. In this review, studies about musical expertise related to anatomical and functional brain changes and their impact on cognitive processes are reported. We discuss the possibility that regular musical practice could be an appropriate activity to reduce age-related cortical atrophy and cognitive decline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)