Dynamic Neuro-Cognitive Imagery Improves Mental Imagery Ability, Disease Severity, and Motor and Cognitive Functions in People with Parkinson's Disease.

Amit Abraham,Isaac Andrade,Ariel Hart,Madeleine E Hackney

doi:10.1155/2018/6168507

Abstract

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience kinesthetic deficits, which affect motor and nonmotor functions, including mental imagery. Imagery training is a recommended, yet underresearched, approach in PD rehabilitation. Dynamic Neuro-Cognitive Imagery (DNI™) is a codified method for imagery training. Twenty subjects with idiopathic PD (Hoehn and Yahr stages I–III) were randomly allocated into DNI training (experimental; n = 10) or in-home learning and exercise program (control; n = 10). Both groups completed at least 16 hours of training within two weeks. DNI training focused on anatomical embodiment and kinesthetic awareness. Imagery abilities, disease severity, and motor and nonmotor functions were assessed pre- and postintervention. The DNI participants improved (p < .05) in mental imagery abilities, disease severity, and motor and spatial cognitive functions. Participants also reported improvements in balance, walking, mood, and coordination, and they were more physically active. Both groups strongly agreed they enjoyed their program and were more mentally active. DNI training is a promising rehabilitation method for improving imagery ability, disease severity, and motor and nonmotor functions in people with PD. This training might serve as a complementary PD therapeutic approach. Future studies should explore the effect of DNI on motor learning and control strategies.

Highlights

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects sensory and cognitive [1,2,3] as well as motor functions, resulting in impaired proprioception and kinesthesia [3,4,5,6]
The groups had normal cognition, there were more males, about half of them had experienced falls in the previous year or used an assistive device, they were at low risk for losing function, and they had mild-moderate PD
There were no significant differences between groups in imagery ability, as measured by Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised Second Version (MIQ-RS), KVIQ-20, and VMIQ-2 nor between visual and kinesthetic imagery abilities at pretesting (Table 3)

Summary

Introduction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects sensory and cognitive [1,2,3] as well as motor functions, resulting in impaired proprioception and kinesthesia [3,4,5,6]. These deficits manifest as impaired motion sensitivity, joint position sense, spatial cognition, and haptic acuity; altered attention to action; and inaccurate center of gravity [1, 2, 6, 7]. Proprioceptive and kinesthetic deficits in PD are often underdiagnosed [20] and have received little attention in PD rehabilitation [12]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion