Motor Imagery Training Group Research Articles

A Study of Analysis of the Brain Wave with Respected to Action Observation and Motor Imagery: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of action observation training and motor imagery training on recovery from chronic stroke. [Subjects] Thirty patients (who were over six months post stroke) participated in this study and were randomly allocated to three groups. [Methods] The action observation training group practiced additional action observation training for five 30-minute sessions over a four-week period. The motor imagery training group practiced additional motor imagery training for five 30-minute sessions over a four-week period. Electroencephalogram were used to compare brain waves between the three groups. [Results] The action observation group showed significant changes in relative alpha power in Fp1 and Fp2 and relative beta power in Fp2 and C3. [Conclusion] Action observation induces higher levels of cognitive activities than motor imagery and physical training. Action observation is expected to be more effective for stroke patients.

Effects of Motor Imagery Training on Gait Ability of Patients with Chronic Stroke

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of motor imagery training on improvement of gait ability of patients with chronic stroke. The motor imagery training was performed using imagination of normal gait movement. [Subjects] Participants were randomly allocated to two groups: a motor imagery training group (n=13) and a control group (n=11). [Methods] Both groups received treadmill training for 3 session 30 minutes per week for 6 weeks. The motor imagery training group practiced additional motor imagery training. Measures were evaluated by gait ability. [Results] The outcomes significantly improved by motor imagery training were gait speed, step length of paretic side, step length of non-paretic side, stride length of paretic side, stride length of non-paretic side, single limb support period of paretic side, and double limb support period of both sides. [Conclusion] The motor imagery training improved gait ability. These results suggest that motor imagery training is feasible and suitable for individuals with stroke.

Motor Learning Without Doing: Trial-by-Trial Improvement in Motor Performance During Mental Training

Although there is converging experimental and clinical evidences suggesting that mental training with motor imagery can improve motor performance, it is unclear how humans can learn movements through mental training despite the lack of sensory feedback from the body and the environment. In a first experiment, we measured the trial-by-trial decrease in durations of executed movements (physical training group) and mentally simulated movements (motor-imagery training group), by means of training on a multiple-target arm-pointing task requiring high accuracy and speed. Movement durations were significantly lower in posttest compared with pretest after both physical and motor-imagery training. Although both the posttraining performance and the rate of learning were smaller in motor-imagery training group than in physical training group, the change in movement duration and the asymptotic movement duration after a hypothetical large number of trials were identical. The two control groups (eye-movement training and rest groups) did not show change in movement duration. In the second experiment, additional kinematic analyses revealed that arm movements were straighter and faster both immediately and 24 h after physical and motor-imagery training. No such improvements were observed in the eye-movement training group. Our results suggest that the brain uses state estimation, provided by internal forward model predictions, to improve motor performance during mental training. Furthermore, our results suggest that mental practice can, at least in young healthy subjects and if given after a short bout of physical practice, be successfully substituted to physical practice to improve motor performance.