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Updated: Apr 24, 2026
Author Spotlight: Using Motor Imagery Brain-Computer Interface to Improve Motor and Cognitive Function in Stroke Patients
Published on: September 1, 2023
Motor imagery during movement activates the brain more than movement alone after stroke: a pilot study
Lucy Dodakian1, Jill Campbell Stewart, Steven C Cramer
1Departments of Neurology and Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, USA.
Objective:
To examine the neural correlates of motor imagery performed in conjunction with movement of the paretic arm after stroke.
Design:
Cross-sectional, cohort study.
Subjects:
Seven individuals in the chronic phase of stroke recovery (median (range): age: 58 years (37-73); time post-stroke: 9 months (4-42); upper extremity Fugl-Meyer motor score: 48 (36-64)).
Methods:
Participants actively moved the paretic/right arm under two conditions while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. In the motor condition, pronation/supination movements were made in response to a visual cue. In the motor + imagery condition, the same movements were performed in response to a visual cue but the participants were instructed to imagine opening and closing a doorknob during performance of the movement.
Results:
For the motor condition, the anticipated motor network was activated and included left sensorimotor cortex and right cerebellum. For performance of the same movements during the motor + imagery condition, additional brain regions were significantly engaged including the left inferior parietal lobule and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
Conclusions:
The addition of motor imagery to movement may provide a practical, accessible way to modulate activity in both the planning and execution components of the motor network after stroke.
