Physiological mechanisms of visually-induced kinesthetic illusion and its clinical applications in stroke rehabilitation

Abstract

Kinesthetic illusion is a psychological state in which a person feels as if his or her own body is moving, despite of it being stationary. We investigated cerebral network activation during kinesthetic illusion induced by visual stimuli. In this review paper, we report cerebral network activity that was demonstrated by functional magnetic resonance imaging, during kinesthetic illusion induced by visual stimuli. Except for the primary motor cortex, motor association areas showed higher activity during illusions than during periods of movie observation without illusion. We also report acute clinical effects of illusion on motor function in two patients with stroke. Surface electromyography during movement tasks demonstrated that reciprocal muscular activity gradually appeared after kinesthetic illusion. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the effects of illusions in patients with stroke. Our findings have potential clinical applications.