We all have our favorite songs, the ones that are deeply meaningful. Now, it turns out those songs can do more than just lift the spirit or evoke memories. They can also stimulate the brain’s neural pathways in a way that boosts memory performance.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found brain-based evidence that music with special meaning can help maintain higher levels of mental functioning.

People with early-stage cognitive decline who were exposed to personally relevant music — like the song they danced to at their wedding — had activity in a distinct part of the brain. That, the researchers found, resulted in structural and functional changes in the brain’s control center where deep cognitive processes occur.

Differences were also noted in the brain’s white matter among those who listened to personally relevant music — another indicator of beneficial brain “rewiring” known as plasticity.

The study’s participants listened to familiar music that was relevant to their lives as well as newly composed music for an hour a day over three weeks. Brain imaging was done before and after to assess changes.

Newly composed music mainly affected the brain’s auditory cortex, suggesting it was little more than a listening experience. But the familiar music activated the prefrontal cortex, indicating deeper cognitive engagement.

That means music is an access key to your memory — potentially a way to keep it functional and vibrant. It also raises an intriguing concept for the researchers: music as a cost-effective, readily accessible intervention for early cognitive decline.

So whether your best-loved tunes are Mozart or Metallica, turn them on often.