Motor imagery-based brain activity parallels that of motor execution: Evidence from magnetic source imaging of cortical oscillations

Abstract Motor imagery (MI) is a form of practice in which an individual mentally performs a motor task. Previous research suggests that skill acquisition via MI is facilitated by repetitive activation of brain regions in the sensorimotor network similar to that of motor execution, however this evid...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain research 2014-11, Vol.1588, p.81-91
Main Authors: Kraeutner, Sarah, Gionfriddo, Alicia, Bardouille, Timothy, Boe, Shaun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beta Rhythm
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - physiology
Brain Mapping
Electromyography
Evoked Potentials
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hand - physiology
Humans
Imagination - physiology
Learning - physiology
Magnetoencephalography
Male
Motion Perception - physiology
Motor imagery
Motor learning
Neuroimaging
Neurology
Neuropsychological Tests
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Motor imagery (MI) is a form of practice in which an individual mentally performs a motor task. Previous research suggests that skill acquisition via MI is facilitated by repetitive activation of brain regions in the sensorimotor network similar to that of motor execution, however this evidence is conflicting. Further, many studies do not control for overt muscle activity and thus the activation patterns reported for MI may be driven in part by actual movement. The purpose of the current research is to further establish MI as a secondary modality of skill acquisition by providing electrophysiological evidence of an overlap between brain areas recruited for motor execution and imagery. Non-disabled participants ( N= 18; 24.7±3.8 years) performed both execution and imagery of a unilateral sequence button-press task. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was utilized to capture neural activity, while electromyography used to rigorously monitor muscle activity. Event-related synchronization/desynchronization (ERS/ERD) analysis was conducted in the beta frequency band (15–30 Hz). Whole head dual-state beamformer analysis was applied to MEG data and 3D t -tests were conducted after Talairach normalization. Source-level analysis showed that MI has similar patterns of spatial activity as ME, including activation of contralateral primary motor and somatosensory cortices. However, this activation is significantly less intense during MI ( p
ISSN:0006-8993
1872-6240
DOI:10.1016/j.brainres.2014.09.001