Clara James 1

Clara James

Function: Privat-Docent

Nom du groupe: Geneva Musical Minds Lab (GEMMI lab)   

Group type: Main

Affiliations: Faculty of Psychology and Science of Education

Domaines: Development and Plasticity, Sensory and Motor Systems, Perception, Attention and Cognition

Mot clés: brain plasticity, child development, countervail cognitive decline, musical and physical training regimens

Activités de recherche

The Geneva Musical Minds Laboratory (GEMMI Lab), led by Clara James, focuses on using music, psychomotor and arts approaches to address age-related cognitive decline and promote child development. Key initiatives include an RCT (SNF 170410) comparing piano practice and music listening in healthy elderly, revealing the positive impact of music practice on age related cognitive decline, with superior brain and behavioral gains for the piano group (https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/170410). A study on the « Orchestra in Class » program demonstrated broad cognitive and sensorimotor benefits in 10-12-year-old school children (https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00567). Another RCT, funded by Alzheimer Suisse and the Gebauer Foundation, explores the impact of music vs. psychomotor practice on patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), aiming for stabilization or recovery (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-03678-0). Recent funding (SNF 214977) supports an RCT investigating cognitive benefits in 6-8-year-old children from participating in collective art training: Orchestra in Class versus Visual Arts, compared to the standard curriculum. Earlier fundamental work by James (SNF 125050) showed a correlation between musical training intensity and progressive changes in cognition and brain structure in young adults (https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/125050). The lab’s multi-faceted approach spans across different age groups and cognitive states, making it a pivotal force in the field of cognitive neuroscience and musical engagement.

Site web du groupe

Publications clés

See the complete list of the publications

Videos

Contact

Faculté de psychologie et scie
Université de Genève
Haute Ecole de Santé de Genève
Email: clara.james@hesge.ch/clara.james@unige.ch