Mickey Hart spoke about the importance of music and playing instruments. The drummer explained how he was caring for his grandmother, which was just fine with him, except she wasn´t speaking.

She had been officially diagnosed with Alzheimer´s some time before, and she hadn’t spoken in a year. Not one word.

Finally, Mickey pulled out his drum, and played a simple rhythm. One his grandmother knew. And she spoke. "Mickey?" She knew his name!

He was fascinated. What was it about the rhythms that had such a power over a deteriorating brain?

At the AARP event, Mickey joined neurologist Adam Gazzaley, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco, on stage to speak about research showing music has a positive effect on the brain and how playing music can help offset the mental declines of aging.

The findings imply that early age of musical acquisition, sustained and maintained during advanced age, may enhance cognitive functions and buffer age and education influences.

The neurologist explained that all humans have five simultaneous rhythms in their brains:

"If they accelerate too much, that’s what a seizure is. The rhythms of your brain are a factor in perception, decision making, memory, attention and language. They tend to try to synchronize, like kids on a swing. They're connected to many diagnoses, the most obvious being Parkinson's or tinnitus, where you hear a ringing in your ear. But you probably wouldn't think of depression or dyslexia, both of which are affected by the brain’s rhythms."

Mickey Hart's presentation culminated in a drum circle with hundreds of drummers at the convention.