Professor Clara James and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Damien Marie have launched an innovative study with the aim of demonstrating that learning music can be a brake on age-related cognitive decline. The study focused on 100 retired people aged 64-76 years old, divided into two groups over a 12-month period: one group was offered piano instruction, the other was offered musical culture.
The aim of the study was to examine the benefits of musical practice on skills that usually decline with normal aging: working memory, executive functions, selective listening and fine motor skills, well-being, as well as brain morphology and function.
Various psychometric measures (memory, cognitive functions, manual dexterity, etc.) and brain examinations (magnetic resonance imaging "MRI") were recorded every 6 months. The first results should be available in the first half of 2020.