Motor Imagery Task Alters Dynamics of Human Body Posture

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that motor imagery significantly influences human postural control by altering the dynamics of the Center of Pressure, with potential applications in rehabilitation and sports training.

Contribution

It introduces a mathematical model to quantify the impact of motor imagery on COP dynamics and provides empirical evidence of its directional effects on postural stability.

Findings

Motor imagery increases COP path length and Long-Range Correlation during imagined movements.

Significant differences in COP dynamics between MI and normal standing conditions.

Results support the neural activation theory underlying motor imagery effects.

Abstract

Motor Imagery (MI) is gaining traction in both rehabilitation and sports settings, but its immediate influence on human postural control is not yet clearly understood. The focus of this study is to examine the effects of MI on the dynamics of the Center of Pressure (COP), a crucial metric for evaluating postural stability. In the experiment, thirty healthy young adults participated in four different scenarios: normal standing with both open and closed eyes, and kinesthetic motor imagery focused on mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) sway movements. A mathematical model was developed to characterize the nonlinear dynamics of the COP and to assess the impact of MI on these dynamics. Our results show a statistically significant increase (p-value<0.05) in variables such as COP path length and Long-Range Correlation (LRC) during MI compared to the closed-eye and normal standing conditions. These observations align well with psycho-neuromuscular theory, which suggests that imagining a specific movement activates neural pathways, consequently affecting postural control. This study presents compelling evidence that motor imagery not only has a quantifiable impact on COP dynamics but also that changes in the Center of Pressure (COP) are directionally consistent with the imagined movements. This finding holds significant implications for the field of rehabilitation science, suggesting that motor imagery could be strategically utilized to induce targeted postural adjustments. Nonetheless, additional research is required to fully understand the complex mechanisms that underlie this relationship and to corroborate these results across a more diverse set of populations.