scholarly journals The Neural Specificity of Movement Preparation During Actual and Imagined Movements

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 689-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florent Lebon ◽  
Célia Ruffino ◽  
Ian Greenhouse ◽  
Ludovica Labruna ◽  
Richard B Ivry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Delayed Response ◽  
Movement Preparation ◽  
Actual Movement ◽  
Before And After ◽  
First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle ◽  
Response Task ◽  
The Right ◽  
Imagined Movement

Abstract Current theories consider motor imagery, the mental representation of action, to have considerable functional overlap with the processes involved in actual movement preparation and execution. To test the neural specificity of motor imagery, we conducted a series of 3 experiments using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We compared changes in corticospinal excitability as people prepared and implemented actual or imagined movements, using a delayed response task in which a cue indicated the forthcoming response. TMS pulses, used to elicit motor-evoked responses in the first dorsal interosseous muscle of the right hand, were applied before and after an imperative signal, allowing us to probe the state of excitability during movement preparation and implementation. Similar to previous work, excitability increased in the agonist muscle during the implementation of an actual or imagined movement. Interestingly, preparing an imagined movement engaged similar inhibitory processes as that observed during actual movement, although the degree of inhibition was less selective in the imagery conditions. These changes in corticospinal excitability were specific to actual/imagined movement preparation, as no modulation was observed when preparing and generating images of cued visual objects. Taken together, inhibition is a signature of how actions are prepared, whether they are imagined or actually executed.

scholarly journals An acute session of motor imagery training induces use-dependent plasticity

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Célia Ruffino ◽  
Jérémie Gaveau ◽  
Charalambos Papaxanthis ◽  
Florent Lebon
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Dependent Plasticity ◽  
Imagery Training ◽  
Imagery Group ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Right

AbstractMotor imagery, defined as the mental representation of an action without movement-related sensory inputs, is a well-known intervention to improve motor performance. In the current study, we tested whether use-dependent plasticity, a mechanism underlying motor learning, could be induced by an acute session of motor imagery. By means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left primary motor cortex, we evoked isolated thumb movements in the right hand and assessed corticospinal excitability in the flexor and extensor pollicis brevis muscles. We measured the mean TMS-induced movement direction before and after an acute session of motor imagery practice. In a first experiment, participants of the imagery group were instructed to repeatedly imagine their thumb moving in a direction deviated by 90° from the pre-test movement. This group, but not the control group, deviated the post-training TMS-induced movements toward the training target direction (+44° ± 62° and −1° ± 23°, respectively). Interestingly, the deviation magnitude was driven by the corticospinal excitability increase in the agonist muscle. In a second experiment, we found that post-training TMS-induced movements were proportionally deviated toward the trained direction and returned to baseline 30 minutes after the motor imagery training. These findings suggest that motor imagery induces use-dependent plasticity and, this neural process is accompanied by corticospinal excitability increase in the agonist muscle.

scholarly journals An acute session of motor imagery training induces use-dependent plasticity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Célia Ruffino ◽  
Jérémie Gaveau ◽  
Charalambos Papaxanthis ◽  
Florent Lebon
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Dependent Plasticity ◽  
Imagery Training ◽  
Imagery Group ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Right

AbstractMotor imagery, defined as the mental representation of an action without movement-related sensory inputs, is a well-known intervention to improve motor performance. In the current study, we tested whether use-dependent plasticity, a mechanism underlying motor learning, could be induced by an acute session of motor imagery. By means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left primary motor cortex, we evoked isolated thumb movements in the right hand and assessed corticospinal excitability in the flexor and extensor pollicis brevis muscles. We measured the mean TMS-induced movement direction before and after an acute session of motor imagery practice. In a first experiment, participants of the imagery group were instructed to repeatedly imagine their thumb moving in a direction deviated by 90° from the pre-test movement. This group, but not the control group, deviated the post-training TMS-induced movements toward the training target direction (+44° ±62° and −1° ±23°, respectively). Interestingly, the deviation magnitude was driven by the corticospinal excitability increase in the agonist muscle. In a second experiment, we found that post-training TMS-induced movements were proportionally deviated toward the trained direction and returned to baseline 30 minutes after the motor imagery training. These findings suggest that motor imagery induces use-dependent plasticity and, this neural process is accompanied by corticospinal excitability increase in the agonist muscle.

scholarly journals Stand Up to Excite the Spine: Neuromuscular, Autonomic, and Cardiometabolic Responses During Motor Imagery in Standing vs. Sitting Posture

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidney Grosprêtre ◽  
Uros Marusic ◽  
Philippe Gimenez ◽  
Gael Ennequin ◽  
Laurent Mourot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Motor Command ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Sitting Posture ◽  
Parasympathetic System ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Right ◽  
Spinal Excitability

Motor imagery (MI) for health and performance strategies has gained interest in recent decades. Nevertheless, there are still no studies that have comprehensively investigated the physiological responses during MI, and no one questions the influence of low-level contraction on these responses. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the neuromuscular, autonomic nervous system (ANS), and cardiometabolic changes associated with an acute bout of MI practice in sitting and standing condition. Twelve young healthy males (26.3 ± 4.4 years) participated in two experimental sessions (control vs. MI) consisting of two postural conditions (sitting vs. standing). ANS, hemodynamic and respiratory parameters, body sway parameters, and electromyography activity were continuously recorded, while neuromuscular parameters were recorded on the right triceps surae muscles before and after performing the postural conditions. While MI showed no effect on ANS, the standing posture increased the indices of sympathetic system activity and decreased those of the parasympathetic system (p < 0.05). Moreover, MI during standing induced greater spinal excitability compared to sitting posture (p < 0.05), which was accompanied with greater oxygen consumption, energy expenditure, ventilation, and lower cardiac output (p < 0.05). Asking individuals to perform MI of an isometric contraction while standing allows them to mentally focus on the motor command, not challenge balance, and produce specific cardiometabolic responses. Therefore, these results provide further evidence of posture and MI-related modulation of spinal excitability with additional autonomic and cardiometabolic responses in healthy young men.

scholarly journals Differences between motor execution and motor imagery of grasping movements in the motor cortical excitatory circuit

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai-Jiang Meng ◽  
Yan-Ling Pi ◽  
Ke Liu ◽  
Na Cao ◽  
Yan-Qiu Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Motor Execution ◽  
Human Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Cortical ◽  
The Right

Background Both motor imagery (MI) and motor execution (ME) can facilitate motor cortical excitability. Although cortical excitability is modulated by intracortical inhibitory and excitatory circuits in the human primary motor cortex, it is not clear which intracortical circuits determine the differences in corticospinal excitability between ME and MI. Methods We recruited 10 young healthy subjects aged 18−28 years (mean age: 22.1 ± 3.14 years; five women and five men) for this study. The experiment consisted of two sets of tasks involving grasp actions of the right hand: imagining and executing them. Corticospinal excitability and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) were measured before the interventional protocol using transcranial magnetic stimulation (baseline), as well as at 0, 20, and 40 min (T0, T20, and T40) thereafter. Results Facilitation of corticospinal excitability was significantly greater after ME than after MI in the right abductor pollicis brevis (APB) at T0 and T20 (p < 0.01 for T0, and p < 0.05 for T20), but not in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle. On the other hand, no significant differences in SICI between ME and MI were found in the APB and FDI muscles. The facilitation of corticospinal excitability at T20 after MI correlated with the Movement Imagery Questionnaire (MIQ) scores for kinesthetic items (Rho = −0.646, p = 0.044) but did not correlate with the MIQ scores for visual items (Rho = −0.265, p = 0.458). Discussion The present results revealed significant differences between ME and MI on intracortical excitatory circuits of the human motor cortex, suggesting that cortical excitability differences between ME and MI may be attributed to the activation differences of the excitatory circuits in the primary motor cortex.

scholarly journals SENSORIMOTOR POTENTIATION OF MOTOR IMAGINATION AS CNS PLASTICITY ACTIVATOR

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-38
Author(s):  
E S Korovina ◽  
E N Glazkova ◽  
I V Shirolapov ◽  
O G Kuznetsova ◽  
N R Khanbikov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Sensorimotor Cortex ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Elbow Flexion ◽  
Recording System ◽  
Eeg Rhythms ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
The Right

Aim - to find out the neurophysiological correlatives of motor imagery after the simulation of the motor pattern. Materials and methods. Monopolar EEG was recorded using EEG recording system Neuron - Spectrum - 4 / VPM at 7 right-handed volunteers aged 18-19 years. EEG was recorded according to the system 10-5 in the projection of the sensorimotor cortex of the left hemisphere during the imagination of two movements in the right hand (flexing the fingers, elbow flexion) before and after 30 seconds of simulation of movement patterns using the rehabilitation device Power Plate. Results. After the simulation of the motor pattern, the imagination of the two types of movement correlated with desynchronization of alpha-, beta- EEG rhythms, increasing the number of leads with the reaction of desynchronization (p

scholarly journals Modulation of Corticospinal Excitability Depends on the Pattern of Mechanical Tactile Stimulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sho Kojima ◽  
Hideaki Onishi ◽  
Shota Miyaguchi ◽  
Shinichi Kotan ◽  
Ryoki Sasaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tactile Stimulation ◽  
Motor Evoked Potential ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle ◽  
Stimulus Probe ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
The Right ◽  
Single Blind ◽  
Finger Pad ◽  
Dorsal Interosseous Muscle

We investigated the effects of different patterns of mechanical tactile stimulation (MS) on corticospinal excitability by measuring the motor-evoked potential (MEP). This was a single-blind study that included nineteen healthy subjects. MS was applied for 20 min to the right index finger. MS intervention was defined as simple, lateral, rubbing, vertical, or random. Simple intervention stimulated the entire finger pad at the same time. Lateral intervention stimulated with moving between left and right on the finger pad. Rubbing intervention stimulated with moving the stimulus probe, fixed by protrusion pins. Vertical intervention stimulated with moving in the forward and backward directions on the finger pad. Random intervention stimulated to finger pad with either row protrudes. MEPs were measured in the first dorsal interosseous muscle to transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left motor cortex before, immediately after, and 5–20 min after intervention. Following simple intervention, MEP amplitudes were significantly smaller than preintervention, indicating depression of corticospinal excitability. Following lateral, rubbing, and vertical intervention, MEP amplitudes were significantly larger than preintervention, indicating facilitation of corticospinal excitability. The modulation of corticospinal excitability depends on MS patterns. These results contribute to knowledge regarding the use of MS as a neurorehabilitation tool to neurological disorder.

scholarly journals Global Corticospinal Excitability as Assessed in A Non-Exercised Upper Limb Muscle Compared Between Concentric and Eccentric Modes of Leg Cycling

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel A. Walsh ◽  
Paul J. Stapley ◽  
Jonathan B. H. Shemmell ◽  
Romuald Lepers ◽  
Darryl J. McAndrew
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Exertion ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Leg Cycling ◽  
First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle ◽  
The Right

AbstractThis study investigated the effects of eccentric (ECC) and concentric (CON) semi-recumbent leg cycling on global corticospinal excitability (CSE), assessed through the activity of a non-exercised hand muscle. Thirteen healthy male adults completed two 30-min bouts of moderate intensity ECC and CON recumbent cycling on separate days. Power output (POutput), heart rate (HR) and cadence were monitored during cycling. Global CSE was assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEP) in the right first dorsal interosseous muscle before (‘Pre’), interleaved (at 10 and 20 mins, t10 and t20, respectively), immediately after (post, P0), and 30-min post exercise (P30). Participants briefly stopped pedalling (no more than 60 s) while stimulation was applied at the t10 and t20 time-points of cycling. Mean POutput, and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) did not differ between ECC and CON cycling and HR was significantly lower during ECC cycling (P = 0.01). Group mean MEP amplitudes were not significantly different between ECC and CON cycling at P0, t10, t20, and P30 and CON (at P > 0.05). Individual participant ratios of POutput and MEP amplitude showed large variability across the two modes of cycling, as did changes in slope of stimulus-response curves. These results suggest that compared to ‘Pre’ values, group mean CSE is not significantly affected by low-moderate intensity leg cycling in both modes. However, POutput and CSE show wide inter-participant variability which has implications for individual neural responses to CON and ECC cycling and rates of adaptation to a novel (ECC) mode. The study of CSE should therefore be analysed for each participant individually in relation to relevant physiological variables and account for familiarisation to semi-recumbent ECC leg cycling.

Decreased corticospinal excitability after subthreshold 1 Hz rTMS over lateral premotor cortex

Neurology ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willibald Gerschlager ◽  
Hartwig R. Siebner ◽  
John C. Rothwell
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
First Dorsal Interosseous ◽  
First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle ◽  
The Right ◽  
Hand Area ◽  
Dorsal Interosseous Muscle

Objective: To study whether trains of subthreshold 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over premotor, prefrontal, or parietal cortex can produce changes in excitability of motor cortex that outlast the application of the train.Background: Prolonged 1 Hz rTMS over the motor cortex can suppress the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials (MEP) for several minutes after the end of the train. Because TMS can produce effects not only at the site of stimulation but also at distant sites to which it projects, the authors asked whether prolonged stimulation of sites distant but connected to motor cortex can also lead to lasting changes in MEP.Methods: Eight subjects received 1500 magnetic stimuli given at 1 Hz over the left lateral frontal cortex, the left lateral premotor cortex, the hand area of the left motor cortex, and the left anterior parietal cortex on four separate days. Stimulus intensity was set at 90% active motor threshold. Corticospinal excitability was probed by measuring the amplitude of MEP evoked in the right first dorsal interosseous muscle by single suprathreshold stimuli over the left motor hand area before, during, and after the conditioning trains.Results: rTMS over the left premotor cortex suppressed the amplitude of MEP in the right first dorsal interosseous muscle. The effect was maximized (approximately 50% suppression) after 900 pulses and outlasted the full train of 1500 stimuli for at least 15 minutes. Conditioning rTMS over the other sites did not modify the size of MEP. A control experiment showed that left premotor cortex conditioning had no effect on MEP evoked in the left first dorsal interosseous muscle.Conclusions: Subthreshold 1 Hz rTMS of the left premotor cortex induces a short-lasting inhibition of corticospinal excitability in the hand area of the ipsilateral motor cortex. This may provide a model for studying the functional interaction between premotor and motor cortex in healthy subjects and patients with movement disorders.

Motor imagery helps updating internal models during microgravity exposure

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dylan Rannaud Monany ◽  
Marie Barbiero ◽  
Florent Lebon ◽  
Jan Babič ◽  
Gunnar Blohm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Normal Gravity ◽  
Parabolic Flight ◽  
Internal Models ◽  
Mere Exposure ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Motor Execution ◽  
Internal Representations ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Imagined Movement

Skilled movements result from a mixture of feedforward and feedback mechanisms conceptualized by internal models. These mechanisms subserve both motor execution and motor imagery. Current research suggests that imagery allows updating feedforward mechanisms, leading to better performance in familiar contexts. Does this still hold in radically new contexts? Here, we test this ability by asking participants to imagine swinging arm movements around shoulder in normal gravity condition and in microgravity in which studies showed that movements slow down. We timed several cycles of actual and imagined arm pendular movements in three groups of subjects during parabolic flight campaign. The first, control, group remained on the ground. The second group was exposed to microgravity but did not imagine movements inflight. The third group was exposed to microgravity and imagined movements inflight. All groups performed and imagined the movements before and after the flight. We predicted that a mere exposure to microgravity would induce changes in imagined movement duration. We found this held true for the group who imagined the movements, suggesting an update of internal representations of gravity. However, we did not find a similar effect in the group exposed to microgravity despite the fact participants lived the same gravitational variations as the first group. Overall, these results suggest that motor imagery contributes to update internal representations of movement in unfamiliar environments, while a mere exposure proved to be insufficient.

scholarly journals A Study on the Effect of Mental Practice Using Motor Evoked Potential-Based Neurofeedback

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiki Matsuda ◽  
Takefumi Moriuchi ◽  
Yuta Ikio ◽  
Wataru Mitsunaga ◽  
Kengo Fujiwara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Motor Evoked Potential ◽  
Mental Practice ◽  
The Real ◽  
Group Feedback ◽  
Imagery Training ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle ◽  
The Right

This study aimed to investigate whether the effect of mental practice (motor imagery training) can be enhanced by providing neurofeedback based on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced motor evoked potentials (MEP). Twenty-four healthy, right-handed subjects were enrolled in this study. The subjects were randomly allocated into two groups: a group that was given correct TMS feedback (Real-FB group) and a group that was given randomized false TMS feedback (Sham-FB group). The subjects imagined pushing the switch with just timing, when the target circle overlapped a cross at the center of the computer monitor. In the Real-FB group, feedback was provided to the subjects based on the MEP amplitude measured in the trial immediately preceding motor imagery. In contrast, the subjects of the Sham-FB group were provided with a feedback value that was independent of the MEP amplitude. TMS was applied when the target, moving from right to left, overlapped the cross at the center of the screen, and the MEP amplitude was measured. The MEP was recorded in the right first dorsal interosseous muscle. We evaluated the pre-mental practice and post-mental practice motor performance in both groups. As a result, a significant difference was observed in the percentage change of error values between the Real-FB group and the Sham-FB group. Furthermore, the MEP was significantly different between the groups in the 4th and 5th sets. Therefore, it was suggested that TMS-induced MEP-based neurofeedback might enhance the effect of mental practice.

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