Translating novel findings of perceptual-motor codes into the neuro-rehabilitation of movement disorders

Mariella Pazzaglia,Giulia Galli

doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00222

Abstract

The bidirectional flow of perceptual and motor information has recently proven useful as rehabilitative tool for re-building motor memories. We analyzed how the visual-motor approach has been successfully applied in neurorehabilitation, leading to surprisingly rapid and effective improvements in action execution. We proposed that the contribution of multiple sensory channels during treatment enables individuals to predict and optimize motor behavior, having a greater effect than visual input alone. We explored how the state-of-the-art neuroscience techniques show direct evidence that employment of visual-motor approach leads to increased motor cortex excitability and synaptic and cortical map plasticity. This super-additive response to multimodal stimulation may maximize neural plasticity, potentiating the effect of conventional treatment, and will be a valuable approach when it comes to advances in innovative methodologies.

Highlights

The inextricable link between action perception and execution was first posited by ideomotor theory and neurophysiological studies on mirror neurons (Prinz, 1990; di Pellegrino et al, 1992; Hommel, 1996)
Within the past few years, it has been accepted that the bidirectional flow of perceptual and motor information can be useful in neurorehabilitation (Franceschini et al, 2012; Kantak and Winstein, 2012; Buccino, 2014)
Causative information on the auditory mapping of actions has been provided by our study on patients with apraxia, where we identified a clear association between deficits in performing hand- or mouth-related actions and the ability to recognize the associated sound in the frontal cortex and parietal lobe in the left hemisphere (Pazzaglia et al, 2008a)

Summary

Introduction

The inextricable link between action perception and execution was first posited by ideomotor theory and neurophysiological studies on mirror neurons (Prinz, 1990; di Pellegrino et al, 1992; Hommel, 1996). Theory-based evidence (Pomeroy et al, 2005; Garrison et al, 2010) has suggested that combined perceptual-motor training is beneficial in recovering and restoring motor ability after stroke (Small et al, 2012, 2013) This approach has been successfully applied to a considerable number of experimental lines of research validating how action observation is an effective way to enhance the performance of a specific motor skill (for a review, see Buccino, 2014). Positive Impact of Action Observation/Execution Treatment Rehabilitative treatments based on perceptual-motor codes produce more effective results than motor acts that are mentally simulated (Gatti et al, 2013), motor training alone, or action observation alone (Hecht et al, 2001; Casile and Giese, 2006). The mere perception of breast odors in infants induces immediate motor

24 Whole body

Concluding Remarks