Motor imagery of the unaffected hand in children with spastic hemiplegia

This study examined the ability of children with hemiplegia to perform motor imagery of their unaffected hand. Children (8-12 years) formed three groups--R-HEMI: right-sided hemiplegia, n = 21; L-HEMI: left-sided hemiplegia, n = 19; and Comparisons, n = 21. We expected no group differences on a simple imagined grasping task, but the hemiplegia groups to perform atypically on an imagined pointing task. Results showed no group differences on the grasping task, while only the L-HEMI group performed atypically on the pointing task-- the functional level of the children played a likely role in this finding. Children with hemiplegia can engage in motor imagery, although task complexity and functional level may have an impact.