Abstract
There is now compelling evidence that motor imagery (MI) promotes motor learning. While MI has been shown to influence the early stages of the learning process, recent data revealed that sleep also contributes to the consolidation of the memory trace. How such “online” and “offline” processes take place and how they interact to impact the neural underpinnings of movements has received little attention. The aim of the present review is twofold: (i) providing an overview of recent applied and fundamental studies investigating the effects of MI practice (MIP) on motor learning; and (ii) detangling applied and fundamental findings in support of a sleep contribution to motor consolidation after MIP. We conclude with an integrative approach of online and offline learning resulting from intense MIP in healthy participants, and underline research avenues in the motor learning/clinical domains.
Highlights
Motor imagery (MI) is the mental representation of an action without engaging its actual execution
There was no correlation between the measure of underestimation of the time to imagine the motor sequence, which is likely to affect the motor imagery (MI) quality (Louis et al, 2008; Guillot et al, 2012b), and actual speed gains after sleep. These results provided evidence that sleep contributes to motor memory consolidation after MI practice (MIP), and further suggested that offline delayed gains are not related to the intrinsic characteristics of MI
As in Korman et al (2007), they showed that performing a motor interference task prevented the expression of delayed gains at 24 h post-physical training, while practicing the first motor learning through MIP followed by the physical interfering task did not alter the motor consolidation process (Debarnot et al, 2010)
Summary
Motor imagery (MI) is the mental representation of an action without engaging its actual execution. When the practice intervention involves multiple sessions within a span of several days/weeks, the cumulated effects on performance are evaluated to attest motor learning These can be summarized as online learning processes, since they occur as a direct consequence of practice. Doyon and Benali (2005) acknowledged the consolidation stage, characterized by delayed performance gains occurring after a latent period of approximately 6 h, in the absence of additional practice These can be summarized as offline learning processes, since they indirectly result from practice. Former review articles considered performance improvements immediately resulting from MIP interventions (i.e., MIP effects on online learning processes). They did not consider the potential delayed performance gains consecutive to MIP, in other words the MIP effects on offline learning. The present review was designed to provide a comprehensive overview of motor learning after MIP in healthy participants in relation to both online and offline processes
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