Dance away cognitive decline

Kyoto, Japan -- Whether you practice ballet or prefer the tango, the benefits of dancing are self-evident. It's good exercise both physically and mentally due to the complexity of the movements, and it's also a fun social activity. But the benefits of dancing may extend beyond this: the mental activity and social interaction involved in dancing may also help prevent cognitive decline.

Previous research indicates that dance practice can improve the cognitive test scores of older adults with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, an intermediate state of cognitive decline between normal aging and dementia. This inspired a team of researchers from Kyoto University to extend this research to older adults in an earlier stage of cognitive decline called subjective cognitive decline, or SCD. This refers to an individual's self-reported worsening memory or increased confusion that cannot yet be verified by tests.

"We focused on SCD because earlier intervention is more important from the viewpoint of dementia prevention," says first author Masatoshi Yamashita.

The study involved 53 participants with SCD aged 65 to 84. First, the research team administered cognitive tests to the participants and measured their brain activation with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or fMRI. They also evaluated the participants' levels of oxytocin, also known as the happiness hormone, because they hypothesized any improvement in cognitive function due to the effects of dancing would be accompanied by an increase in well-being due to the regular social interaction.

The researchers then divided participants into two groups, one of which received twelve weeks of dance training while the control group maintained the same lifestyle. The dance training involved learning choreography to familiar songs, in this case, pop and traditional Japanese songs. After twelve weeks the research team administered the same cognitive tests.

The results revealed a significant increase in the secretion of oxytocin in the group that received dance lessons. Furthermore, the fMRI results for this group showed enhanced functional connectivity in the brain and increased spontaneous brain activation in resting state. These appeared in the default mode network, where synchronized activations are considered to be critical for cognitive health in old age.

This time, the research team did not observe any significant differences in mental health between the two groups of participants, and say that seeing a positive effect would require more time. They also did not see a difference in cognitive performance, which may be because the participants of this study showed high scores on the cognitive test at the baseline.

"Other factors of the null results include the cognitive load, intensity, or duration of the dance lesson," says team leader Kaoru Sekiyama. "These factors will need to be further examined."

For now, it's still unclear whether dance lessons are an effective intervention to developing dementia, but this study nonetheless further attests to the benefits of this social activity.

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The paper "Effects of dance training on oxytocin secretion and neural activity in older adults with subjective cognitive decline" appeared on 14 November 2025 in Innovation in Aging, with doi: 10.1093/geroni/igaf129

About Kyoto University

Kyoto University is one of Japan and Asia's premier research institutions, founded in 1897 and responsible for producing numerous Nobel laureates and winners of other prestigious international prizes. A broad curriculum across the arts and sciences at undergraduate and graduate levels complements several research centers, facilities, and offices around Japan and the world. For more information, please see: http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en