To elucidate the neural substrate associated with capabilities for kinesthetic motor imagery of difficult whole-body movements, we measured brain activity during a trial involving both kinesthetic motor imagery and action observation as well as during a trial with action observation alone. Brain activity was assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Nineteen participants imagi...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of mental practice on motor imagery ability and assess the influence of motor imagery on gait rehabilitation in sub-acute stroke. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS A total of 44 patients with gait dysfunction after first-ever stroke were randomly allocated to a motor imagery training group and a muscle relaxation group. METHODS The motor imagery...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate whether motor imagery training has a positive influence on upper extremity performance in stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-four patients were randomly assigned to one of the following two groups: motor imagery (n = 12) or control (n = 12). Over the course of 4 weeks, the motor imagery group participated in 30 minutes of motor ...

OBJECTIVE To test the effect of a postsurgical motor imagery program in the rehabilitation of a patient with quadriplegia. DESIGN Crossover design with kinematic analysis. SETTING Rehabilitation Hospital of Lyon. Study approved by the local Human Research Ethics Committee. PARTICIPANTS C6-level injured patient (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grade A) with no voluntary...

Objective. To investigate whether motor imagery ability recovers in stroke patients and to see what the relationship is between different types of imagery and motor functioning after stroke. Methods. 12 unilateral stroke patients were measured at 3 and 6 weeks poststroke on 3 mental imagery tasks. Arm-hand function was evaluated using the Utrecht Arm-Hand task and the Brunnström Fugl-Meyer Scal...

The benefits of imagery use have been shown for athletes and neurological patients, but little is known about the benefits of motor and exercise imagery for older adults. Current research on movementrelated imagery is reviewed in this narrative article, with a focus on methods for estimating the ability to use motor and exercise imagery and the extent of their use. Recent investigations of moto...

[Purpose] We often perform physical therapy using motor imagery of muscle contraction to improve motor function for healthy subjects and central nerve disorders. This study aimed to determine the differences in the excitability of spinal motor neurons during motor imagery of a muscle contraction at different contraction strengths. [Subjects] We recorded the F-wave in 15 healthy subjects. [Metho...

[Purpose] This study aimed to determine the differences in the excitability of spinal motor neurons during motor imagery of a muscle contraction at different contraction strengths. [Methods] We recorded the F-wave in 15 healthy subjects. First, in a trial at rest, the muscle was relaxed during F-wave recording. Next, during motor imagery, subjects were instructed to imagine maximum voluntary co...

It is commonly reported that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex during action observation and motor imagery results in increases in the amplitude of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in muscles specific to the observed or imagined action. This study aimed to determine whether MEP amplitude was related to the motor imagery ability of participants. Participants were 15 healt...

the median nerve at the wrist in subjects during two motor imagery conditions: holding and not holding the sensor of a pinch meter between the thumb and index finger. Our aim was to determine whether mental simulation without the muscle contraction associated with motion can increase the excitability of spinal neural function in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). F-waves of the left thenar...