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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
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Motor Imagery Performance Through Embodied Digital Twins in a Virtual Reality-Enabled Brain-Computer Interface Environment
Published on: May 10, 2024
Evidence for motor simulation in imagined locomotion
Benjamin R Kunz1, Sarah H Creem-Regehr, William B Thompson
1Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. benjamin.kunz@psych.utah.edu
Summary
Imagined walking performance is strongly influenced by real walking biomechanics. Executed actions, especially those consistent with walking, align imagined and real walking times, suggesting shared motor systems.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- The motor system plays a crucial role in imagined movements.
- Previous research indicates differences in absolute walking time between real and imagined locomotion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of biomechanical information from actual walking on imagined walking.
- To determine if executed actions can serve as a basis for imagined walking rate.
Main Methods:
- Perceptual-motor recalibration paradigm in a virtual reality treadmill environment.
- Dual-task paradigm involving concurrent actions during imagined walking.
Main Results:
- Physical walking in VR led to recalibration of imagined walking time.
- Biomechanically consistent concurrent actions reduced the difference between real and imagined walking times.
- Inconsistent actions did not yield the same effect on imagined walking time.
Conclusions:
- Biomechanical information from executed movements significantly impacts imagined locomotion.
- Evidence supports shared neural systems for both imagined and executed movements.
- Findings are relevant to understanding spatial updating mechanisms in egocentric frames of reference.
