Observation and motor imagery balance tasks evaluation: An fNIRS feasibility study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Assessing balance control is crucial for rehabilitation, especially for immobilized patients.
• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a portable and non-invasive neuroimaging technique.
• Previous studies have utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for similar investigations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of using fNIRS to study brain activation during postural tasks.
• To compare brain activity during action observation (AO), motor imagery (MI), and combined AO and MI (AO+MI).
• To evaluate fNIRS as a potential tool for assessing non-physical balance training.

Main Methods:

• Thirteen healthy adults performed static and dynamic standing balance tasks.
• Three experimental conditions were used: AO, MI, and AO+MI.
• fNIRS recorded brain activity in prefrontal and motor regions.

Main Results:

• AO+MI and MI conditions showed significant activation in prefrontal and motor areas, unlike AO alone.
• More demanding dynamic tasks elicited higher activation patterns, especially in the frontopolar area during AO and AO+MI.
• AO+MI demonstrated significant activation differences in premotor and supplementary motor cortices related to balance control.

Conclusions:

• fNIRS is a feasible method for studying brain activity during postural tasks involving action observation and motor imagery.
• The AO+MI paradigm shows greater neural engagement than AO or MI individually.
• fNIRS may serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for non-physical balance training in rehabilitation settings.