The Vividness of Motor Imagery Is Correlated With Corticospinal Excitability During Combined Motor Imagery and Action Observation

Moriuchi, Takefumi; Nakashima, Akira; Nakamura, Jiro; Anan, Kimika; Nishi, Keita; Matsuo, Takashi; Hasegawa, Takashi; Mitsunaga, Wataru; Iso, Nozomi; Higashi, Toshio

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2020.581652

Cited by 20 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(49 reference statements)

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“…In the MI condition, they were asked to kinesthetically imagine that they were walking without performing voluntary contraction. We provided the following instruction: “ Please imagine kinesthetically that you are walking without performing voluntary muscle contraction .” We confirmed that the participants could perform the MI using a VAS [ 31 ]. After completing the MI, they were asked to make a mark on a 10-cm-long VAS line on paper, which provided the VAS score.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 61%

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Effects of action observation and motor imagery of walking on the corticospinal and spinal motoneuron excitability and motor imagery ability in healthy participants

et al. 2022

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Action observation (AO) and motor imagery (MI) are used for the rehabilitation of patients who face difficulty walking. Rehabilitation involving AO, MI, and AO combined with MI (AO+MI) facilitates gait recovery after neurological disorders. However, the mechanism by which it positively affects gait function is unclear. We previously examined the neural mechanisms underlying AO and MI of walking, focusing on AO+MI and corticospinal and spinal motor neuron excitability, which play important roles in gait function. Herein, we investigated the effects of a short intervention using AO+MI of walking on the corticospinal and spinal motor neuron excitability and MI ability of participants. Twelve healthy individuals participated in this study, which consisted of a 20 min intervention. Before the experiment, we measured MI ability using the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire-2 (VMIQ-2). We used motor evoked potential and F-wave measurements to evaluate the corticospinal and spinal motor neuron excitability at rest, pre-intervention, 0 min, and 15 min post-intervention. We also measured corticospinal excitability during MI of walking and the participant’s ability to perform MI using a visual analog scale (VAS). There were no significant changes in corticospinal and spinal motor neuron excitability during and after the intervention using AO+MI (p>0.05). The intervention temporarily increased VAS scores, thus indicating clearer MI (p<0.05); however, it did not influence corticospinal excitability during MI of walking (p>0.05). Furthermore, there was no significant correlation between the VMIQ-2 and VAS scores and changes in corticospinal and spinal motor neuron excitability. Therefore, one short intervention using AO+MI increased MI ability in healthy individuals; however, it was insufficient to induce plastic changes at the cortical and spinal levels. Moreover, the effects of intervention using AO+MI were not associated with MI ability. Our findings provide information about intervention using AO+MI in healthy individuals and might be helpful in planning neurorehabilitation strategies.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Thus, we hypothesized that the ability to perform MI of walking increases post-intervention. Our hypotheses were tested using a visual analog scale (VAS) [ 31 ], and we measured the corticospinal excitability during MI of walking [ 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of action observation and motor imagery of walking on the corticospinal and spinal motoneuron excitability and motor imagery ability in healthy participants

et al. 2022

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“…To assess the effect on cortical oscillatory activity, resting-state EEG was recorded before and after each stimulation condition. Finally, previous research has also demonstrated a significant positive relationship between the self-reported kinesthetic vividness of MI and the MI-induced change in corticomotor excitability (Williams et al, 2012;Vasilyev et al, 2017;Moriuchi et al, 2020) and intracortical excitability (Lebon et al, 2012). Therefore, the Kinesthetic and Visual Imaging Questionnaire (KVIQ) (Malouin et al, 2007) was included in experiment 2 to assess the participants' MI ability, to explore if any relationship was present between visual and kinesthetic MI ability and the change in cortical oscillatory activity following state-dependent PEMS.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peripheral Electrical Stimulation Modulates Cortical Beta-Band Activity

et al. 2021

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Low-frequency peripheral electrical stimulation using a matrix electrode (PEMS) modulates spinal nociceptive pathways. However, the effects of this intervention on cortical oscillatory activity have not been assessed yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low-frequency PEMS (4 Hz) on cortical oscillatory activity in different brain states in healthy pain-free participants. In experiment 1, PEMS was compared to sham stimulation. In experiment 2, motor imagery (MI) was used to modulate the sensorimotor brain state. PEMS was applied either during MI-induced oscillatory desynchronization (concurrent PEMS) or after MI (delayed PEMS) in a cross-over design. For both experiments, PEMS was applied on the left forearm and resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) was recording before and after each stimulation condition. Experiment 1 showed a significant decrease of global resting-state beta power after PEMS compared to sham (p = 0.016), with a median change from baseline of −16% for PEMS and −0.54% for sham. A cluster-based permutation test showed a significant difference in resting-state beta power comparing pre- and post-PEMS (p = 0.018) that was most pronounced over bilateral central and left frontal sensors. Experiment 2 did not identify a significant difference in the change from baseline of global EEG power for concurrent PEMS compared to delayed PEMS. Two cluster-based permutation tests suggested that frontal beta power may be increased following both concurrent and delayed PEMS. This study provides novel evidence for supraspinal effects of low-frequency PEMS and an initial indication that the presence of a cognitive task such as MI may influence the effects of PEMS on beta activity. Chronic pain has been associated with changes in beta activity, in particular an increase of beta power in frontal regions. Thus, brain state-dependent PEMS may offer a novel approach to the treatment of chronic pain. However, further studies are warranted to investigate optimal stimulation conditions to achieve a reduction of pain.

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“…Additionally, studies using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have indicated that the corticospinal excitability of related muscles increases during MI (Fadiga et al, 1999;Hashimoto & Rothwell, 1999;Lebon et al, 2019;Stinear & Byblow, 2003), the timing of which is similar to that of ME (Kumru et al, 2008), and the degree of excitability is reported to be higher than that at rest and less than that during ME (Bouguetoch et al, 2020;Kumru et al, 2008;Lebon et al, 2019;Stinear & Byblow, 2003). However, the change in corticospinal excitability during MI as demonstrated by previous studies (Fadiga et al, 1999;Lebon et al, 2019;Stinear & Byblow, 2003, 2004 indicates that there are many temporal measurement points during MI, and these changes in excitability with time, during MI, remain unclear (Bouguetoch et al, 2020;Lebon et al, 2019;Moriuchi et al, 2020;Sakamoto et al, 2009;Stinear et al, 2006;Stinear & Byblow, 2003, 2004Takahashi et al, 2005;Tsukazaki et al, 2012). A study on timing in MI using mental chronometry reported that the timing in MI was nearly consistent with that in ME, but could increase or decrease depending on the complexity of the given situations and tasks (Guillot & Collet, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The first is to understand the timing characteristics of MI and the changes in corticospinal excitability. The clarity of MI has been associated with the degree of corticospinal excitability, and as the MI becomes clearer, the degree of its enhancement is also increased (Moriuchi et al, 2020). Moreover, AO might increase the clarity of MI by combining AO and MI (AO + MI); this combination might increase the excitability more than AO or MI alone (Mouthon et al, 2015; Tsukazaki et al, 2012; Wright et al, 2014; Wright et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time course effect of corticospinal excitability for motor imagery

Takenaka

Suzuki

Sugawara

2021

Eur J of Neuroscience

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This study examined the effect of temporal changes in corticospinal excitability in motor imagery (MI) and the effect of real‐time guides for MI on excitability changes. The MI task involved wrist flexion and motor evoked potentials using transcranial magnetic stimulation were recorded and examined from the flexor carpi radialis. Ballistic (momentary MI) and tonic (continuous MI) conditions were used, and the duration of each MI was different. In Experiment 1, each MI task was performed using an acoustic trigger. In Experiment 2, a real‐time guide was presented on a computer screen, which provided a visual indication of the onset and duration of the MI task through via moving dots on the screen. The results indicate that the corticospinal excitability changed differently, depending on the duration of MI. Additionally, with real‐time guides, the change in corticospinal excitability became clearer. Thus, corticospinal excitability changes due to the temporal specificities of MI, as well as with actual motor output. Moreover, if MI is actively performed without a guide, it is likely to show an unintended change in corticospinal excitability. It is suggested that when MI is performed with visual guide, the excitatory changes of the corticospinal tract might be different from the actual motor output. Therefore, when using MI for mental practices, it is possible to improve the effect of a guide for MI, such as a visual indicator for motor output. Additionally, when examining neural activities in MI, it may be necessary to consider the characteristics of motion performed by MI.

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The Vividness of Motor Imagery Is Correlated With Corticospinal Excitability During Combined Motor Imagery and Action Observation

Cited by 20 publications

References 36 publications

Effects of action observation and motor imagery of walking on the corticospinal and spinal motoneuron excitability and motor imagery ability in healthy participants

Effects of action observation and motor imagery of walking on the corticospinal and spinal motoneuron excitability and motor imagery ability in healthy participants

Peripheral Electrical Stimulation Modulates Cortical Beta-Band Activity

Time course effect of corticospinal excitability for motor imagery

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