Abstract
The aim of this study was to clarify the topographical localization of motor-related regional hemodynamic signal changes during motor execution (ME) and motor imagery (MI) by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), as this technique is more clinically expedient than established methods (e.g., fMRI). Twenty right-handed healthy subjects participated in this study. The experimental protocol was a blocked design consisting of 3 cycles of 20 s of task performance and 30 s of rest. The tapping sequence task was performed with their fingers under 4 conditions: ME and MI with the right or left hand. Hemodynamic brain activity was measured with NIRS to monitor changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentration. Oxy-Hb in the somatosensory motor cortex (SMC) increased significantly only during contralateral ME and showed a significant interaction between task and hand. There was a main effect of hand in the left SMC. Although there were no significant main effects or interactions in the supplemental motor area (SMA) and premotor area (PMA), oxy-Hb increased substantially under all conditions. These results clarified the topographical localization by motor-related regional hemodynamic signal changes during ME and MI by using NIRS.
Highlights
Recent studies have shown that mental practice in which motor imagery (MI) is performed repeatedly can improve motor functions in patients after stroke; these effects have been demonstrated in clinical studies using randomized controlled trials (Page et al, 2001, 2012; Liu et al, 2004; Sharma et al, 2006; Riccio et al, 2010)
A significant main effect of hand was only observed in the left somatosensory motor cortex (SMC), indicating that the oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) level increased during motor execution (ME) with the right hand [hand: F(1, 19) = 5.590, P = 0.029, η2 = 0.055; task: F(1, 19) = 3.537, P = 0.075, η2 = 0.045], whereas none of the main effects were significant for the right SMC [hand: F(1, 19) = 3.658, P = 0.071, η2 = 0.036; task: F(1, 19) = 3.798, P = 0.066, η2 = 0.030]
In the supplemental motor area (SMA) and premotor area (PMA), the oxy-Hb concentration increased to a similar extent, and most of the observed changes were greater than 0.02 mMmm
Summary
Recent studies have shown that mental practice in which motor imagery (MI) is performed repeatedly can improve motor functions in patients after stroke; these effects have been demonstrated in clinical studies using randomized controlled trials (Page et al, 2001, 2012; Liu et al, 2004; Sharma et al, 2006; Riccio et al, 2010). Hemodynamic Signal Changes during MI/ME and the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised Second Version (MIQ-RS) (Gregg et al, 2010). As these are subjective evaluations, they do not provide sufficient confirmation of the vividness of MI. Objective methods to assess the vividness of MI effectively in a clinical setting have not been established yet
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