Abstract
The present study examined the neural basis of vivid motor imagery with parametrical functional magnetic resonance imaging. 22 participants performed motor imagery (MI) of six different right-hand movements that differed in terms of pointing accuracy needs and object involvement, i.e., either none, two big or two small squares had to be pointed at in alternation either with or without an object grasped with the fingers. After each imagery trial, they rated the perceived vividness of motor imagery on a 7-point scale. Results showed that increased perceived imagery vividness was parametrically associated with increasing neural activation within the left putamen, the left premotor cortex (PMC), the posterior parietal cortex of the left hemisphere, the left primary motor cortex, the left somatosensory cortex, and the left cerebellum. Within the right hemisphere, activation was found within the right cerebellum, the right putamen, and the right PMC. It is concluded that the perceived vividness of MI is parametrically associated with neural activity within sensorimotor areas. The results corroborate the hypothesis that MI is an outcome of neural computations based on movement representations located within motor areas.
Highlights
Imagery phenomena have attracted a great deal of attention in the field of cognitive neuroscience during the last decade, and the neural basis of imagery processes has been investigated extensively using behavioral approaches, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and neuroimaging [1,2,3,4]
Neuroimaging Data – Parametric Analysis A parametric analysis was performed to determine which brain sites were modulated by perceived imagery vividness
Results revealed a vividness-dependent increase of activation in a lefthemispheric network capturing the left putamen, the dorsal as well as the ventral part of the left premotor cortex (PMC), the left inferior parietal cortex, the anterior part of the left superior parietal lobe, the left primary motor cortex (M1, Area 4a), the left somatosensory cortex (S1, Area 3b), the left insula, and the left cerebellum (Crus VIIIb)
Summary
Imagery phenomena have attracted a great deal of attention in the field of cognitive neuroscience during the last decade, and the neural basis of imagery processes has been investigated extensively using behavioral approaches, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and neuroimaging [1,2,3,4] All these different approaches have led to the one conclusion that imagery is based on similar brain substrates as the human sensory and motor systems. Previous work has demonstrated why mentally rehearsing movements has become an important technique in applied sport and exercise psychology for both athletes and patients [8,9] In this context, mental practice with MI is used to improve motor task performance and learning [10]. Several psychological questionnaires, such as the Movement Imagery Questionnaire [12] and the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire [13], have been developed to assess such motor imagery abilities
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