Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
10:39
The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task
Published on: May 3, 2018
Lack of association between corticospinal excitability changes during motor imagery and explicit sequence learning
Yuma Takenaka1, Kentaro Maeda2, Miyu Yamada2
1Graduate Course of Health and Social Work, Kanagawa University of Human Services, 1-10-1 Heisei-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan.
Behavioural Brain Research
|May 28, 2026
Summary
Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) during motor imagery (MI) did not correlate with performance improvements in a serial reaction time task (SRTT). MEPs may not be a reliable index for evaluating MI quality in explicit tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Motor imagery (MI) enhances motor performance, but objective quality assessment is lacking.
- The link between MI quality and performance gains remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if corticospinal excitability, measured by motor evoked potentials (MEPs), can objectively index MI quality.
- To examine the correlation between MEP changes and performance improvements after MI practice in an explicit serial reaction time task (SRTT).
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted, validating the SRTT and practice volume.
- Participants (n=18 in Exp. 2) underwent MI practice, with reaction time (RT) and MEPs measured before and after.
Main Results:
- RT significantly improved after MI practice in the sequential SRTT condition.
- MEP amplitudes during MI were higher than at rest, but showed no significant pre- vs. post-practice changes.
- No significant correlation was found between RT improvements and MEP-related variables.
Conclusions:
- Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) may not serve as a reliable index for assessing motor imagery (MI) quality within explicit serial reaction time tasks (SRTT).
