Abstract
A potential contributor to impaired motor imagery in amputees is an alteration of the body schema as a result of the presence of a phantom limb. However, the nature of the relationship between motor imagery and phantom experiences remains unknown. In this study, the influence of phantom limb perception on motor imagery was investigated using a hand mental rotation task by means of behavioral and electrophysiological measures. Compared with healthy controls, significantly prolonged response time for both the intact and missing hand were observed specifically in amputees who perceived a phantom limb during the task but not in amputees without phantom limb perception. Event-related desynchronization of EEG in the beta band (beta-ERD) in central and parietal areas showed an angular disparity specifically in amputees with phantom limb perception, with its source localized in the right inferior parietal lobule. The response time as well as the beta-ERD values were significantly positively correlated with phantom vividness. Our results suggest that phantom limb perception during the task is an important interferential factor for motor imagery after amputation and the interference might be related to a change of the body representation resulting from an unnatural posture of the phantom limb.
Highlights
A potential contributor to impaired motor imagery in amputees is an alteration of the body schema as a result of the presence of a phantom limb
Motor imagery has been used for the treatment of phantom limb pain (PLP)[1], motor rehabilitation[2], and the development of brain-computer interfaces for controlling a prosthesis[3]
Twenty-one amputees perceived a phantom limb in their daily life, and fifteen of them reported a vivid phantom limb perception during the task
Summary
A potential contributor to impaired motor imagery in amputees is an alteration of the body schema as a result of the presence of a phantom limb. The influence of phantom limb perception on motor imagery was investigated using a hand mental rotation task by means of behavioral and electrophysiological measures. Our results suggest that phantom limb perception during the task is an important interferential factor for motor imagery after amputation and the interference might be related to a change of the body representation resulting from an unnatural posture of the phantom limb. In transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies on motor imagery, lower levels of corticospinal excitability were found with incompatible postures when either the physical posture[20] or an imagined posture[21] was manipulated These findings all imply that motor imagery of body parts www.nature.com/scientificreports/. Corresponding brain activity should be affected when the body schema is disrupted by amputation or by a distorted phantom limb
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
