My research spans occupational therapy, neurorehabilitation, music neuroscience, and complex health interventions.
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Five selected publications
These publications trace the development of my research from neurophysiological mechanisms to clinical translation, theoretical refinement, international methodological standards, and the clinical maturation of a digital platform for home-based telerehabilitation.
2024
Enriched music-supported therapy for individuals with chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial
Journal of Neurology
This randomized controlled trial marks the clinical maturation of my research on app-based music-supported telerehabilitation, building on previous mechanistic, design, and feasibility studies. As corresponding author and doctoral supervisor, I contributed to the scientific supervision of the study, interpretation of the findings, and dissemination; the work also formed a central part of Emma Segura’s doctoral thesis. Conducted with international collaborators from Johns Hopkins University and New York University, the study provides evidence for enriched music-supported therapy after chronic stroke and supports its translation into home-based rehabilitation.
Putting music to trial: Consensus on key methodological challenges investigating music-based rehabilitation
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
This international consensus paper established methodological recommendations for the design and evaluation of music-based rehabilitation studies. As first and corresponding author, I coordinated the collaboration and led the writing process with experts from Canada, Finland, Cyprus, Norway, Austria, and the United States. Drawing on the Medical Research Council framework for complex interventions, the paper emphasises mechanistic and feasibility work before large-scale trials and provides guidance to improve study design, intervention reporting, interpretation, and translation into robust clinical research.
Potential benefits of music playing in stroke upper limb motor rehabilitation
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
This review refined the theoretical foundations of my research on music-supported stroke rehabilitation following earlier experimental and clinical studies. As first and corresponding author, I led the conceptual framework and writing, integrating evidence on motor learning, auditory–motor coupling, motivation, neuroplasticity, and upper-limb recovery. The resulting framework clarified how musical training may promote recovery after stroke and informed the design of subsequent clinical trials and telerehabilitation developments.
Music-supported therapy in the rehabilitation of subacute stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
This randomized controlled trial translated previous mechanistic findings on music-supported therapy into outpatient rehabilitation at a tertiary hospital. As first author, I coordinated the trial and contributed to its design, implementation, intervention delivery, data analysis, interpretation, and dissemination. The study provided clinical evidence for the potential of structured musical practice to support motor and functional recovery after subacute stroke; the expertise developed through this work also led to my involvement in designing the Rehabilitation Plan of the Catalan Health Department.
Plasticity in the sensorimotor cortex induced by Music-supported therapy in stroke patients: a TMS study
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
This study investigated the neuroplastic mechanisms underlying motor improvements following music-supported therapy after stroke. As first author, I contributed to the clinical and neurophysiological evaluation of participants and to the integration and dissemination of the findings. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we showed that improvements in paretic hand function were accompanied by changes in motor-cortex excitability, providing early mechanistic evidence that structured musical training can promote sensorimotor reorganisation after stroke.
Calmaestra-Carrillo, E., Vernet, R., Torrent-Farnell, J., Arbiol-Rodríguez, I., Cardona, À. C., Grau-Sánchez, J., Carles-Lavila, M., & Codern-Bové, N. (2026). Health care, social, educational, and employment needs of individuals affected by rare diseases and their families in Catalonia, Spain. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, 21(1), 132. View article →
Fernández-Dueñas, V., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., & Grau-Sánchez, J. (2026). The therapeutic use of music for chronic pain: a psychological and neurobiological perspective. Frontiers in Pain Research, 6, 1658523. View article →
Roura-Rovira, S., Grau-Sánchez, J., Vidaña-Moya, L., Herranz-Ulldemolins, S., García, N., Cava-Carbonell, J., Herranz, C., Benavent-Areu, J., & González-de Paz, L. (2025). Integrating an occupational therapist into a primary health care team: a mixed-method evaluation of a home-based service delivery. BMC health services research, 25(1), 1490. View article →
Sierpowska, J., Grau-Sánchez, J., Sihvonen, A. J., Ramos-Escobar, N., Camins, A., Gabarrós, A., Sammler, D., Särkämö, T., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2025). Music and Affective Prosody after Surgical Removal of the Right Arcuate Fasciculus: A Case Study. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1552(1), 314–325. View article →
Plaza-Briones, N., Carrete-Gómez, M., Secanell-Capdevila, L., López-Segura, J. A., Grau-Sánchez, J., & Vidaña-Moya, L. (2025). Programa domiciliario de terapia ocupacional y enfermería de atención primaria AToDOM [Home-based occupational therapy and primary care nursing program]. Journal of healthcare quality research, 101155. View article →
Rodríguez-Fornells, A., Grau-Sánchez, J., François, F. (2025). Against a “Lego perspective” on art and health interventions: comment on “Can arts-based interventions improve health? A conceptual and methodological critique” by Martin Skov & Marcos Nadal. Physics of Life Reviews, 54, 218–220. View article →
Flores-García, M., Flores, Á., Aso, E., Otero-López, P., Ciruela, F., Videla, S., Grau-Sánchez, J., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., Bonaventura, J., & Fernández-Dueñas, V. (2025). Dopamine dynamics in chronic pain: music-induced, sex-dependent, behavioral effects in mice. Pain reports, 10(1), e1205. View article →
Segura, E., Grau-Sánchez, J.*, Cerda-Company, X., Porto, M. F., De la Cruz-Puebla, M., Sanchez-Pinsach, D., Cerquides, J., Duarte, E., Palumbo, A., Turry, A., Raghavan, P., Särkämö, T., Münte, T. F., Arcos, J. L., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2024). Enriched music-supported therapy for individuals with chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Neurology, 271 (10), 6606–6617. View article →
Garrido-Pedrosa, J., Capdevila, E., Berga-Quintana, N., González-Román, L., Guijosa-Mira, M.E., Astilleros Castro, I., Grau-Sánchez, J. (2024). Effectiveness of Tailored Multisensory Stimulation Intervention in People with Major Neurocognitive Disorder: A Quasiexperimental Pilot Study.Occupational Therapy International, in press. View article →
Segura, E., Vilà-Balló, A., Mallorquí, A., Porto, M.F., Duarte, E., Grau-Sánchez, J., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2024). The presence of anhedonia in individuals with subacute and chronic stroke: an exploratory cohort study.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 16:1253028. View article →
Grau-Sánchez, J., Serrano, A., Villoria, J., Carnaval, T., Porto, M. F., Zapata, L., Flores-García, M., Segura, E., Garrido-Pedrosa, J., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., Fernández-Dueñas, V., & Videla, S. (2023). Effect and safety of listening to music or audiobooks as a coadjuvant treatment for chronic pain patients under opioid treatment: a study protocol for an open-label, parallel-group, randomised, controlled, proof-of-concept clinical trial in a tertiary hospital in the Barcelona South Metropolitan area. BMJ Open, 13(9), e074948. View article →
Grau-Sánchez, J.*, Jamey, K., Paraskevopoulos, E., Dalla Bella, S., Gold, C., Schlaug, G., Belleville, S., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., Hackney, M. E., & Särkämö, T. (2022). Putting music to trial: Consensus on key methodological challenges investigating music-based rehabilitation. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1518(1), 12–24. View article →
Llarch-Pinell, E., Monsó-Monsó, A., Ars, J., Udina, C., Inzitari, M., & Grau-Sánchez, J.* (2022). Intervención de terapia ocupacional para la mejora de la autonomía en personas postinfección por SARS-COV-2 [Occupational therapy intervention to improve autonomy in individuals postinfection by SARS-CoV-2]. Rehabilitacion, 56(4), 294–301. View article →
Sartor, M. M., Grau-Sánchez, J., Guillén-Solà, A., Boza, R., Puig, J., Stinear, C., Morgado-Perez, A., & Duarte, E. (2021). Intensive rehabilitation programme for patients with subacute stroke in an inpatient rehabilitation facility: describing a protocol of a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open, 11(10), e046346. View article →
Segura, E., Grau-Sánchez, J.*, Sanchez-Pinsach, D., De la Cruz, M., Duarte, E., Arcos, J.L., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2021). Designing an app for home-based enriched Music-supported Therapy in the rehabilitation of patients with chronic stroke: a pilot feasibility study. Brain Injury, 35(12-13), 1585–1597. View article →
Grau-Sánchez, J.*, Segura, E., Sanchez-Pinsach, D., Raghavan, P., Münte, T. F., Palumbo, A. M., Turry, A., Duarte, E., Särkämö, T., Cerquides, J., Arcos, J.L., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2021). Enriched Music-supported Therapy for chronic stroke patients: a study protocol of a randomised controlled trial. BMC Neurology, 21(1), 19. View article →
Duarte, E., Messaggi-Sartor, M., Grau-Sánchez, J., Ramírez-Fuentes, C., Neira, N., Guillén-Solà, A., Sánchez-Rodríguez, D., Duran, X., Boza, R., & Marco, E. (2020). Cerebral infarct site and affected vascular territory as factors in breathing weakness in patients with subacute stroke. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 52(10), jrm00116. View article →
Papatzikis, E., Zeba, F., Särkämö, T., Ramirez-Melendez, R., Grau-Sánchez, J., Tervaniemi, M. & Loewy, J. (2020). Mitigating the Impact of the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic on Neuroscience and Music Research Protocols in Clinical Populations. Frontiers in Psychology, 11:2160. View article →
Grau-Sánchez, J.*, Münte, T. F., Altenmüller, E., Duarte, E., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2020). Potential benefits of music playing in stroke upper limb motor rehabilitation. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 112:585-599. View article →
Gomez-Andres, A., Grau-Sánchez, J., Duarte, E., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., & Tajadura-Jiménez, A. (2020). Enriching footsteps sounds in gait rehabilitation in chronic stroke patients: a pilot study. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1467(1):48-59. View article →
Grau-Sánchez, J.*, Bonet, C., Gallego, J., Gutiérrez, M., Massana, R., Medina, E., Montiel, E., & Méndez, B. (2019). La creación de un código deontológico: experiencia del colegio de terapeutas ocupacionales de Cataluña [The creation of a deontological code: experience of the professional association of occupational therapists of Catalonia]. Revista electrónica de terapia ocupacional Galicia, TOG, 16(29), 109-117. View article →
Grau-Sánchez, J., Duarte, E., Ramos-Escobar, N., Sierpowska, J., Rueda, N., Redón, S., Veciana de las Heras, M., Pedro, J., Särkämö, T., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2018). Music-Supported Therapy in the rehabilitation of subacute stroke patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1423(1):318-328. View article →
Grau-Sánchez, J., Ramos, N., Duarte, E., Särkämö, T., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2017). Time course of motor gains induced by Music-Supported Therapy after stroke: An exploratory case study. Neuropsychology, 31(6):624-635. View article →
Grau-Sánchez, J.*, Foley, M., Hlavová, R., Muukkonen, I., Ojinaga-Alfageme, O., Radukic, A., Spindler, M., & Hundevad, B. (2017). Exploring Musical Activities and Their Relationship to Emotional Well-Being in Elderly People across Europe: A Study Protocol. Frontiers in Psychology, 8:330. View article →
Ripollés, P., Rojo, N., Grau-Sánchez, J., Amengual, J.L., Càmara, E., Marco-Pallarés, J., Juncadella, M., Vaquero, L., Rubio, F., Duarte, E., Garrido, C., Altenmüller, E., Münte, T.F., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2016). Music supported therapy promotes motor plasticity in individuals with chronic stroke. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 10(4):1289-1307. View article →
Kilteni, K., Grau-Sánchez, J., Veciana de las Heras, M., Rodríguez-Fornells, A., & Slater, M. (2016). Decreased corticospinal excitability after the illusion of missing part of the arm. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10:145. View article →
François, C., Grau-Sánchez, J., Duarte, E., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2015). Musical training as an alternative and effective method for neuro-education and neuro-rehabilitation. Frontiers in Psychology, 6:475. View article →
Amengual, J. L., Münte, T. F., Marco-Pallarés, J., Rojo, N., Grau-Sánchez, J., Rubio, F., Duarte, E., Grau, C., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2014). Overactivation of the supplementary motor area in chronic stroke patients. Journal of neurophysiology, 112(9), 2251–2263. View article →
Grau-Sánchez, J., Amengual, J.L., Rojo, N., Veciana de las Heras, M., Montero, J., Rubio, F., Altenmüller, E., Münte, T.F., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2013). Plasticity in the sensorimotor cortex induced by Music-supported therapy in stroke patients: a TMS study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7:494. View article →
Amengual, J.L., Rojo, N., Veciana de las Heras, M., Marco-Pallarés, J., Grau-Sánchez, J., Schneider, S., Vaquero, L., Juncadella, M., Montero, J., Mohammadi, B., Rubio, F., Rueda, N., Duarte, E., Grau, C., Altenmüller, E., Münte, T.F., & Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2013). Sensorimotor Plasticity after Music-Supported Therapy in Chronic Stroke Patients Revealed by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. PLOS ONE, 8(4):e61883. View article →
Books
My contributions in the form of published books encapsulate my commitment to advancing knowledge, applying research in practical settings, and upholding ethical standards in the field.
Evaluation tools for practice and research in Occupational Therapy
Collects, describes and classifies more than 100 relevant instruments for occupational therapy.
A reference resource for students, occupational therapists, professors, and researchers.
Free digital book.
Grau-Sánchez, J., González-Román, L., Zango-Martín, I. (2022). Instrumentos de valoración en Terapia Ocupacional: guía para la práctica profesional e investigación [Assessment instruments: guide for professional practice and research]. University School of Nursing and Occupational Therapy of Terrassa. Open access book, 4,987 downloads on 10/2023. View book →
AI Platform for self-training in stroke rehabilitation
Book from the International Conference of the Catalan Association for AI.
We present AI algorithms for telerehabilitation to support therapists and boost user engagement.
Our platform allows personalised interventions according to needs and preferences.
Sánchez-Pinsach, D., Mulayim, M.O., Grau-Sánchez, J., Segura, E., Juan-Corbella, B., Arcos, J.L., Cerquides, J., Messaggi-Sartor, M., Duarte, E., Rodríguez-Fornells, A. (2019). Design of an AI Platform to Support Home-Based Self-Training Music Interventions for Chronic Stroke Patients. En Sabater-Mir, J. Artificial Intelligence Research and Development: Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference of the Catalan Association for Artificial Intelligence (Vol. 319, p. 170). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: IOS Press. View book →
Deontological code for occupational therapists in Catalonia
First deontological code for occupational therapists in Catalonia.
A legal document committed to the pursuit of professional excellence.
A public declaration of the duties derived from ethical principles and values.
Bonet Torres, C., Gallego Rodríguez, J., Grau-Sánchez, J., Gutiérrez Lengua, M., Massana Riera, R., Medina Pitarch, E., Méndez Méndez, B., Pérez, P. (2017). Código deontológico del Colegio Oficial de Terapeutas Ocupacionales de Cataluña [Deontological code of the Catalan College of Occupational Therapists]. Barcelona, Spain: Catalonian College of Occupational Therapists. View book →
