Mirror Visual Feedback-Induced Performance Improvement and the Influence of Hand Dominance.

Viola Rjosk,Maike Hoff,Christopher J Steele,Bernhard Sehm,Elisabeth Kaminski,Arno Villringer,Patrick Ragert

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00702

Abstract

Mirror visual feedback (MVF) is a promising technique in clinical settings that can be used to augment performance of an untrained limb. Several studies with healthy volunteers and patients using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) indicate that functional alterations within primary motor cortex (M1) might be one candidate mechanism that could explain MVF-induced changes in behavior. Until now, most studies have used MVF to improve performance of the non-dominant hand (NDH). The question remains if the behavioral effect of MVF differs according to hand dominance. Here, we conducted a study with two groups of young, healthy right-handed volunteers who performed a complex ball-rotation task while receiving MVF of the dominant (n = 16, group 1, MVFDH) or NDH (n = 16, group 2, MVFNDH). We found no significant differences in baseline performance of the untrained hand between groups before MVF was applied. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the amount of performance improvement between MVFDH and MVFNDH indicating that the outcome of MVF seems not to be influenced by hand dominance. Thus our findings might have important implications in neurorehabilitation suggesting that patients suffering from unilateral motor impairments might benefit from MVF regardless of the dominance of the affected limb.

Highlights

Mirror visual feedback (MVF) is a promising technique in the context of neurorehabilitation to induce performance improvements without training
A statistically significant difference on the visual analog scale (VAS) in attention at baseline between groups [t(30) = −2.590, P = 0.015] as well as a significant increase in attention in both groups: by 1.13 ± 0.26 on the VAS in MVF from the DH (MVFDH) [t(15) = −4.392; P = 0.001] and by 0.38 ± 0.02 on the VAS in MVF from the NDH (MVFNDH) [t(15) = −2.423; P = 0.029]
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether MVF from the DH and non-dominant hand (NDH) during motor skill learning differentially affects performance of the untrained hand

Summary

Introduction

Mirror visual feedback (MVF) is a promising technique in the context of neurorehabilitation to induce performance improvements without training. The subject performs a motor task with one limb in front of the mirror while watching its reflection giving the illusion of the other limb moving. The opposite limb behind the mirror should be at rest throughout the MVF task. MVF has been successfully applied to improve motor deficits in stroke patients (Altschuler et al, 1999; Yavuzer et al, 2008; Dohle et al, 2009). Several studies have indicated that MVF is capable of improving performance of an untrained limb in both young and old volunteers without neurological deficits (Hoff et al, 2015; von Rein et al, 2015). It has been shown that MVF leads to functional alterations

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