Abstract
Mental practice refers to the cognitive rehearsal of a physical activity. It is widely used by athletes to enhance their performance and its efficiency to help train motor function in people with physical disabilities is now recognized. Mental practice is generally based on motor imagery (MI), i.e., the conscious simulation of a movement without its actual execution. It may also be based on verbal rehearsal (VR), i.e., the silent rehearsal of the labels associated with an action. In this study, the effect of MI training or VR on the learning and retention of a foot-sequence task was investigated. Thirty right-footed subjects, aged between 22 and 37 years old (mean: 27.4 ± 4.1 years) and randomly assigned to one of three groups, practiced a serial reaction time task involving a sequence of three dorsiflexions and three plantar flexions with the left foot. One group (n = 10) mentally practiced the sequence with MI for 5 weeks, another group (n = 10) mentally practiced the sequence with VR of the foot positions for the same duration, and a control group (n = 10) did not practice the sequence mentally. The time to perform the practiced sequence as well as an unpracticed sequence was recorded before training, immediately after training and 6 months after training (retention). The main results showed that the speed improvement after training was significantly greater in the MI group compared to the control group and tended to be greater in the VR group compared to the control group. The improvement in performance did not differ in the MI and VR groups. At retention, however, no difference in response times was found among the three groups, indicating that the effect of mental practice did not last over a long period without training. Interestingly, this pattern of results was similar for the practiced and non-practiced sequence. Overall, these results suggest that both MI training and VR help to improve motor performance and that mental practice may induce non-specific effects.
Highlights
In the context of motor learning, mental practice may be defined as the cognitive rehearsal of a physical activity in order to enhance performance in this activity (Jackson et al, 2001)
Results showed that the interaction between Group and Session was significant when the motor imagery (MI) group was compared to the control group [F(1,17) = 7.00, p < 0.05, η2p = 0.29], approached significance between the verbal rehearsal (VR) and control groups [F(1,17) = 7.00, p = 0.067, η2p = 0.18], but was not significant between the MI and VR groups
Paired t-tests with a Sidak correction conducted within each group revealed that response times for both sequences significantly increased (p < 0.001) in the MI and VR groups but did not change in the control group
Summary
In the context of motor learning, mental practice may be defined as the cognitive rehearsal of a physical activity in order to enhance performance in this activity (Jackson et al, 2001). Mental practice is generally based on motor imagery (MI), i.e., the mental simulation of an action without its actual execution. Research on mental practice based on MI as a strategy to improve motor performance goes back to the 1930s (e.g., Sackett, 1934) and since the use of MI training has become widespread in sport settings. There is accumulating evidence that mental practice based on MI can be efficient to help train motor functions in people with physical disabilities of neurological origin (see Dickstein and Deutsch, 2007; Malouin and Richards, 2010; Malouin et al, 2013). The use of mental practice in a rehabilitation setting appears relevant as it provides a unique opportunity to practice different kinds of movements – even complex motor tasks – in an autonomous and safe manner while avoiding undue physical fatigue
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