Enhancing the Reward System in Older Adults: The Role of Music and Aesthetic Experiences

Abstract Aging-related neurobiological processes have long been linked to deterioration, particularly of dopaminergic systems that are involved in motivation, reward anticipation, and emotional regulation. This deficit-based narrative is complicated by new research, which shows that the aging brain can exhibit remarkable resilience, functional reorganization, and plasticity. In order to investigate how reward processing is maintained, modified, and adjusted in later life, this thesis provides a thorough narrative review that synthesizes recent research from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and neuroaesthetics. The dopaminergic system, compensatory brain mechanisms, and the healing potential of aesthetic stimuli like music and visual art are all given particular emphasis. Utilizing studies concerning genetic instability, synapse loss, cortical thinning, and altered intercellular communication, the review starts by outlining the anatomical and functional changes that occur in the aging brain. Evidence continues to accumulate indicating that significant regions like the cerebellum, anterior cingulate cortex, medial orbitofrontal cortex, and default mode network (DMN), which are involved in emotional salience, self-referential processing, and hedonic valuation, are preserved even though prefrontal and hippocampus regions tend to deteriorate. In order to compensate for regional losses, older adults prioritize socially and emotionally meaningful experiences and recruit alternative neural pathways, according to the thesis, which frames these findings within modern models of cognitive aging such as Cognitive Reserve, Brain Maintenance, the HAROLD model, and the STAC framework. The cerebellum's functional role in aging might be at the center of this research. The cerebellum, which was once thought to be solely motoric, is now understood to play an integrative function in emotion, cognition, and reward. This is especially true given its recently found monosynaptic connection with the ventral tegmental area (VTA). This cerebello-VTA circuit is a viable target for aesthetic and music-based therapies as it may support the maintenance of motivational salience and social reward responsiveness in older persons. Despite age-related dopaminergic loss, functional neuroimaging studies reveal that older adults process social and aesthetic rewards with intact or even neuroanatomical and functional foundation, the thesis explores how aesthetic engagement particularly music listening modulates reward-related brain regions and interfaces with the DMN. Empirical studies reveal that familiar, pleasurable music strengthens connectivity between the auditory cortex and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), enhances autobiographical memory, and promotes emotional regulation. Music-based interventions (MBIs) have also been associated with increased BDNF expression, preserved DMN integrity, and improved cognitive flexibility, particularly in creative tasks and emotional processing. This thesis reframes aging as a dynamic process of adaptive brain reconfiguration rather than a story of loss by critically integrating evidence from neuroscience, psychology, and aesthetics. In older individuals, aesthetic and musical experiences become more than just passive pastimes; they are powerful modulators of emotional vigor, reward sensitivity, and brain plasticity. These results highlight the importance of encouraging social meaning and creative expression as essential elements of healthy aging in both clinical and public health settings.