Motor imagery in congenital hemiplegia: Impairments are not universal

Motor imagery (MI) training may benefit children with congenital hemiplegia, but reports on MI ability are mixed. This study considered individual patterns of performance to better understand MI ability in children with hemiplegia.

Twenty children with hemiplegia (7-13 years; 10 with right hemiplegia), completed a MI task, IQ estimate and functional tests. Children with hemiplegia scoring above chance on the MI task were compared to a group of age-matched peers. The performance patterns of those scoring below chance were considered individually.

Three children with right hemiplegia were excluded due to low IQ. Seven of 10 children with left hemiplegia and three of seven with right hemiplegia performed MI at an equivalent level to peers without hemiplegia. The seven children with hemiplegia who scored significantly below chance scored lower on functional tests, but differences here failed to reach an adjusted significance level. Four of the seven appeared engaged in MI, but performed very poorly. The remaining three had unique performance patterns explored in more detail.

Motor imagery deficits are not universally observed in children with congenital hemiplegia and individual performance should be examined before completing group analyses. Recommendations for exclusions and reporting in future studies are made.