The Embodied Nature of Motor Imagery Processes Highlighted by Short-Term Limb Immobilization

We investigated the embodied nature of motor imagery processes through a recent use-dependent plasticity approach, a short-term limb immobilization paradigm. A splint placed on the participants' left-hand during a brief period of 24 h was used for immobilization. The immobilized participants pe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental psychology 2014-01, Vol.61 (3), p.180-186
Main Authors: Meugnot, Aurore, Almecija, Yves, Toussaint, Lucette
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Cognitive science
Feedback, Sensory - physiology
Female
Hand
Hand (Anatomy)
Healthy Volunteers
Human
Humans
Imagination - physiology
Immobilization - physiology
Male
Mental Rotation
Motor Skills - physiology
Neuronal Plasticity
Perceptual Motor Processes
Psychology
Reaction Time - physiology
Rotation
Sensory Deprivation - physiology
Young Adult
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Summary:We investigated the embodied nature of motor imagery processes through a recent use-dependent plasticity approach, a short-term limb immobilization paradigm. A splint placed on the participants' left-hand during a brief period of 24 h was used for immobilization. The immobilized participants performed two mental rotation tasks (a hand mental rotation task and a number mental rotation task) before (pre-test) and immediately after (post-test) the splint removal. The control group did not undergo the immobilization procedure. The main results showed an immobilization-induced effect on left-hand stimuli, resulting in a lack of task-repetition benefit. By contrast, accuracy was higher and response times were shorter for right-hand stimuli. No immobilization-induced effects appeared for number stimuli. These results revealed that the cognitive representation of hand movements can be modified by a brief period of sensorimotor deprivation, supporting the hypothesis of the embodied nature of motor simulation processes.
ISSN:1618-3169
2190-5142
DOI:10.1027/1618-3169/a000237