Motor Imagery Training Is Beneficial for Motor Memory of Upper and Lower Limb Tasks in Very Old Adults

Abstract

Human aging is associated with a decline in the capacity to memorize recently acquired motor skills. Motor imagery training is a beneficial method to compensate for this deterioration in old adults. It is not yet known whether these beneficial effects are maintained in very old adults (>80 years), who are more affected by the degeneration processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mental training session of motor imagery on the memorization of new motor skills acquired through physical practice in very old adults. Thus, 30 very old adults performed 3 actual trials of a manual dexterity task (session 1) or a sequential footstep task (session 2) as fast as they could before and after a 20 min motor imagery training (mental-training group) or watching a documentary for 20 min (control group). Performance was improved after three actual trials for both tasks and both groups. For the control group, performance decreased in the manual dexterity task after the 20 min break and remained stable in the sequential footstep task. For the mental-training group, performance was maintained in the manual dexterity task after the 20 min motor imagery training and increased in the sequential footstep task. These results extended the benefits of motor imagery training to the very old population, showing that even a short motor imagery training session improved their performance and favored the motor memory process. These results confirmed that motor imagery training is an effective method to complement traditional rehabilitation protocols.

Applications of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Neuroimaging During Rehabilitation Following Stroke: A Review

“…Motor imagery restores damaged motor conduction pathways and stimulates motor cortex networks. There is compelling evidence [78][79][80] that motor imagery and motor execution share the same neural networks related to motor functions. As direct monitoring of motor imagery is challenging, researchers have enhanced the efficacy of motor imagery training by furnishing subjects with real-time feedback on the targeted cortical activity.…”

Motor imagery therapy improved upper limb motor function in stroke patients with hemiplegia by increasing functional connectivity of sensorimotor and cognitive networks

“…Patients can improve their motor performance by repeatedly imagining and simulating the specified actions (Wang et al, 2019 ). These studies observed that motor imagery, as a complementary technique, improved upper limbs motor function (Nam et al, 2019 ; Vourvopoulos et al, 2019 ; Barclay et al, 2020 ; Gaughan and Boe, 2021 ; Hilt et al, 2023 ). However, there is no consensus regarding the intervention protocol for the application of motor imagery.…”