The role of motor imagery in learning a totally novel movement

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to gain more insight into the mechanisms underlying mental practice. The question of whether a totally novel movement may be learned by mental practice was investigated. Healthy young adults had to learn the abduction of the big toe (dominant right foot) without moving the other toes or the foot. The subjects were divided into two groups: subjects who were absolutely unable to abduct their big toe ("absolute zero" group) and subjects who were able to abduct their toe to some extent but showed clear room for improvement ("already doing it" group). Two separate experiments were executed. In the first experiment, 37 absolute-zero subjects had to practice, mentally or physically, the target movement. In the second experiment 40 already-doing-it subjects had to improve their toe-abduction skill. The results showed that absolute-zero subjects could not acquire the toe-abduction movement by means of mental practice. Only subjects who physically practiced the target movement improved significantly. Subjects who had some experience in the task (already-doing-it subjects) improved significantly after mental practice as well as after physical practice. The results seem to indicate that it is more plausible to explain the learning effects of mental practice in terms of a "top-down" mechanism based on the activation of a central representation of the movement than in terms of a peripheral "bottom-up" mechanism based on the activation of muscles.

The Effects of Motor Imagery After a Variety of Motor Learning Times on Excitability of Spinal Motor Neurons and Accurate Motion

“…Conversely, provided that the pinch value obtained does not represent convergence on 50% MVC, the 50% MVC error is increased in the second than that in the first trial of the pinch task. Given these observations, our results suggest that motor imagery does not improve the ability to achieve accurate motion after motor learning for 10 s. Mulder et al [22] reported that motor imagery improved the ability to achieve actual motion only in people with learning that corresponded to the motor imagery task. Accordingly ,thesubjectsmightnotbeabletolearn the 50% MVC in only 10 s. Thus, it is necessary for the learning of subjects to correspond fully t ot h em o t o rt a s k .W ec o n c l u d et h a ta d e q u a t el e a r n i n gt i m es h o u l db ep r o v i d e di nf u t u r e studies.…”

Judo’s Mental Imagery Training and Technical Acquisitions among High Institute Students

“…The statistical data show a surprising progress of the mental group compared to the two other groups (observational group and the analytical group).These findings go in the same direction as those observed in the work of Crosbie & al., (2004). Other authors note the importance of imagery in the acquisition of new techniques such as Mulder & al (2004).…”

The Effect of a Combined Practice Course of Mental and Physical Practice with Systematic Increase in Contextual Interference on Learning a Kata Skill

“…Yue (1992), Yaguez (1998), Vielledent (2003), and Mulder (2004) proved that mental practice leads to improvement in motor performance and can have an effect on brain activities during and after mental practice period. In this way, the motor programme is established and the level of muscle activity is mentally regulated (16)(17)(18)(19). Bohan et al (1999) investigated the performance effects of imagery practice at three stages of learning a novel motor task.…”