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The Mechanisms and Actions of Motor Imagery Within the Clinical Setting

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Textbook of Neuromodulation

Abstract

Motor imagery (MI) refers to the process of imagining a movement in the absence of either actual movement or execution of the mentally rehearsed task. It is a dynamic simulation of the performed action incorporating temporal, sequential, and biomechanical planning, which changes in content as the action is imagined over time. This chapter outlines the clinical potential of MI in the rehabilitation of movement disorders and discusses the neurophysiological basis of normal movement and the overlapping networks and recruitment patterns that exist during MI tasks. Further, the chapter reviews contemporary evidence regarding the effects of MI in a variety of clinical conditions, including complex regional pain syndrome, phantom limb pain and stroke, and presents some of the validated outcome measures used in assessing MI, as well as clinical applications of MI programmes, open questions and future implications for research and clinical practice.

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Acknowledgements

N. Walsh is funded by an Arthritis Research UK Career Development Fellowship, L. Jones is funded by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Charitable Trust, and C. McCabe is funded by an NIHR Career Development Fellowship. Stephen Tate provided the original line drawing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Glenside Campus, Blackberry Hill, Bristol, BS16 1DD, UK

    Nicola E. Walsh, Louise Jones & Candida S. McCabe

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  1. Nicola E. Walsh
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  2. Louise Jones
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  3. Candida S. McCabe
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Correspondence to Nicola E. Walsh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care, Metropolitan Jewish Health Systems (MJHS), New York, New York, USA

    Helena Knotkova

  2. University of Lübeck, Department of Neurosurgery University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany

    Dirk Rasche

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Walsh, N.E., Jones, L., McCabe, C.S. (2015). The Mechanisms and Actions of Motor Imagery Within the Clinical Setting. In: Knotkova, H., Rasche, D. (eds) Textbook of Neuromodulation. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1408-1_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1408-1_12

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