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Motor imagery and the muscle system
Björn Wieland1, Michael Behringer2, Karen Zentgraf1
1Department of Movement Science and Training in Sports, Institute of Sports Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
Summary
Motor imagery (MI) impacts muscle contraction initiation, not the contraction itself. This study explored muscular excitability during imagined movements, finding MI affects delay time but not velocity or displacement.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Motor imagery (MI) research often focuses on central nervous system (CNS) activity, showing similarities with motor execution.
- Despite CNS similarities, the absence of overt movement in MI suggests peripheral inhibition.
- Less is understood about how MI influences peripheral systems, specifically muscle excitability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate muscular excitability of the biceps brachii during different imagery modes (MI vs. visual imagery) and proprioceptive conditions (with or without muscle effort).
- To determine if low-threshold motor commands during MI reach the muscular system and influence its mechanical response.
- To explore the impact of imagery type and proprioceptive feedback on muscle system responses.
Main Methods:
- 40 participants underwent tensiomyography to assess muscle mechanical response to single electrical stimuli.
- Muscle variables including maximal displacement, delay time, and contraction velocity were measured.
- A 2x2 repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze the effects of imagery mode and proprioceptive information.
Main Results:
- No interaction effects were found between imagery mode and effort, indicating effort does not amplify imagery effects on muscles.
- Motor imagery (MI) significantly altered time to contraction, showing a reduced delay time compared to the control condition.
- No significant differences were observed in contraction velocity or maximal displacement between imagery conditions.
Conclusions:
- Motor imagery (MI) appears to influence the initiation phase of muscle contraction, specifically reducing the delay time.
- The contraction's velocity and extent are not significantly altered by MI, suggesting central inhibitory mechanisms or specific neural pathways are involved.
- These findings highlight the importance of neuronal factors in MI and suggest that MI's effects on the periphery are subtle and primarily related to motor command timing.
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