Neuroplasticity of imagined wrist actions after spinal cord injury: a pilot study

Abstract

Motor imagery (MI - i.e., the mental representation of an action without physically executing it) stimulates brain motor networks and promotes motor learning after spinal cord injury (SCI). An interesting issue is whether the brain networks controlling MI are being reorganized with reference to spared motor functions. In this pilot study, we tested using magnetoencephalography (MEG) whether changes in cortical recruitment during MI were related to the motor changes elicited by rehabilitation. Over a 1-year period of inclusion, C6 SCI participants (n = 4) met stringent criteria for inclusion in a rehabilitation program focused on the tenodesis prehension (i.e., a compensatory prehension enabling seizing of objects in spite of hand and forearm muscles paralysis). After an extended baseline period of 5 weeks including repeated MEG and chronometric assessments of motor performance, MI training was embedded to the classical course of physiotherapy for five additional weeks. Posttest MEG and motor performance data were collected. A group of matched healthy control participants underwent a similar procedure. The MI intervention resulted in changes in the variability of the wrist extensions, i.e., a key movement of the tenodesis grasp (p < .05). Interestingly, the extent of cortical recruitment, quantified by the number of MEG activation sources recorded within Brodmann areas 1-8 during MI of the wrist extension, significantly predicted actual movement variability changes across sessions (p < .001). However, no such relationship was present for movement times. Repeated measurements afforded a reliable statistical power (range .70-.97). This pilot study does not provide straightforward evidence of MI efficacy, which would require a randomized controlled trial. Nonetheless, the data showed that the relationship between action and imagery of spared actions may be preserved after SCI.

Motor imagery reinforces brain compensation of reach-to-grasp movement after cervical spinal cord injury

“…Articles without movement performance assessment (Enzinger et al, 2008 ; Di Rienzo et al, 2014b , 2015 ; Faller et al, 2014 ; Scherer et al, 2015 ; Tidoni et al, 2015 ).…”

Imagine There Is No Plegia. Mental Motor Imagery Difficulties in Patients with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

“…However, long-term effects of MI training probably help to overcome these experienced troubles, as has been suggested by Gustin et al ( 2008 ). Furthermore, it is important to note, that this does not mean that the ability to perform MI is impaired, as it has been reported that MI vividness in patients with SCI is comparable to that of healthy subjects (Hotz-Boendermaker et al, 2008 ; Di Rienzo et al, 2014b , c , 2015 ; Fusco et al, 2016 ; Roosink et al, 2016 ). Additionally, we investigated visual and kinesthetic MI and it is possible that MI strategies may change after SCI (Fiori et al, 2014 ).…”

The Study of Object-Oriented Motor Imagery Based on EEG Suppression

“…It is found that MI shares the similar cognitive processes [ 1 ] and sensory motor cortical [ 2 ] with movement execution. Therefore, MI is widely used for motor learning, such as in a variety of sports, e.g., rhythmic gymnastics [ 3 ], badminton [ 4 ] and slalom [ 5 ], and in rehabilitation of patients who cannot do active movements after a stroke [ 6 ], spinal cord injury [ 7 ], or Parkinson’s disease [ 8 ]. MI has also been a widely used strategy of brain computer interface (BCI) for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle [ 9 ] or robot arm [ 10 ].…”