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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Author Spotlight: Using Motor Imagery Brain-Computer Interface to Improve Motor and Cognitive Function in Stroke Patients
Published on: September 1, 2023
Comparison of brain activity between motor imagery and mental rotation of the hand tasks: a functional magnetic
Hiroyuki Hamada1,2, Daisuke Matsuzawa1,2,3, Chihiro Sutoh1,2
1Department of Cognitive Behavioral Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan.
Abstract:
Motor imagery (MI) has been considered effective in learning and practicing movements in many fields. However, when evaluating the effectiveness of this technique, the examiner has no way of assessing the participant's motor imagery process. As an alternative, we have been exploring a mental body-part rotation task, in which the examiner can estimate the participant's motivation and ability to sustain attention through the scored results. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible application of a mental rotation (MRot) task and used fMRI to compare the brain activity during the MRot task with that during an MI task in healthy volunteers. Increased blood oxygenation level-dependent signals were observed bilaterally in the premotor areas and supplementary motor area during performance of both MI and MRot tasks. Our findings suggest that MRot could be an alternative to MI.
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