Kinesthetic Imagery and Tool-Specific Modulation of Corticospinal Representations in Expert Tennis Players

Abstract

Specific physical or mental practice may induce short- and long-term neuroplastic changes in the motor system and cause tools to become part of one's own body representation. Athletes who use tools as part of their practice may be an excellent model for assessing the neural correlates of possible bodily representation changes that are specific to extensive practice. We used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to measure corticospinal excitability in forearm and hand muscles of expert tennis players and novices while they mentally practiced a tennis forehand, table tennis forehand, and a golf drive. The muscles of expert tennis players showed increased corticospinal facilitation during motor imagery of tennis but not golf or table tennis. Novices, although athletes, were not modulated across sports. Subjective reports indicated that only in the tennis imagery condition did experts differ from novices in the ability to form proprioceptive images and to consider the tool as an extension of the hand. Neurophysiological and subjective data converge to suggest a key role of long-term experience in modulating sensorimotor body representations during mental simulation of sports.

The relationship between corticospinal excitability during motor imagery and motor imagery ability

“…In their study, Fourkas et al [12] required both expert and novice tennis players to complete the Movement Imagery Questionnaire -revised [MIQ-R; 14]. The amplitude of the motor evoked potential (MEP) resulting from TMS during imagined tennis movements was significantly correlated with the visual and kinaesthetic imagery scores from the MIQ-R in the sample as a whole (r = .52 and .68 respectively), with more vivid imagery scores resulting in greater MEP amplitude.…”

“…Skilled performers also demonstrate significantly higher levels of corticospinal activation following TMS during imagery of movements related to their particular sport, when compared to novice performers [12]. However, these differences dissipate when assessing imagery of more general motor skills, unrelated to their sport [10,12]. It has been demonstrated that intensive physical practice and subsequent improvement in the performance of a motor skill also alters the pattern of neural activation during motor imagery [13], and taken with our knowledge of the imagery ability of elite athletes, this indicates that task experience can influence imagery ability and accompanying neural activation.…”

“…Studies in sport psychology suggest that athletes who utilise motor imagery regularly and report higher levels of imagery vividness for their sport specific tasks demonstrate different patterns of neural activation to novice or non-athlete groups who use motor imagery less [10,11]. Skilled performers also demonstrate significantly higher levels of corticospinal activation following TMS during imagery of movements related to their particular sport, when compared to novice performers [12]. However, these differences dissipate when assessing imagery of more general motor skills, unrelated to their sport [10,12].…”

La precisión del movimiento imaginado y la recepción de balón en niños / The Accuracy of the Motor Imagery and the Ball Reception in Children

“…La hipótesis de que las redes neuro-cognitivas son las mismas tanto para los movimientos reales como imaginados podría explicar estos resultados (Fourkas et al, 2008;Kasess et al, 2008;Ramnani, 2006;Stinear et al, (2007).…”

“…Otras investigaciones se han centrado en: la activación de las áreas corticales y subcorticales durante la representación motriz (Fourkas Bonavolontà, Avenanti y Aglioti, 2008;Kasess et al, 2008;Ramnani, 2006); las imágenes motrices en pacientes con lesiones cerebrovasculares (Cicinelli et al, 2006;Sabaté, González y Rodriguez, 2007;Stinear Fleming, Barber y Byblow, 2007); o en paciente con enfermedad de Parkinson (Amick, Schendan, Ganis y Cronin-Golomb, 2006;Helmich, Lange, Bloem y Toni, 2007). En resumen, estos estudios neuronales sobre la representación mental han observado consistentemente que los patrones de activación son comunes tanto a la simulación mental del movimiento como a la generación real del mismo.…”