MEP Analysis of Hand Motor Imagery with Bimanual Coordination Under Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Abstract

Stroke is one of the leading causes worldwide of motor disability in adults. Motor imagery is a rehabilitation technique for potentially treating the results of stroke. Based on bimanual movement coordination, we designed hand motor imagery experiments. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied to the left motor cortex to produce motorevoked potentials (MEP) in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) of the right hand. Ten subjects were required to perform three different motor imagery tasks involving the twisting of a bottle cap. The results showed that contralateral hand imagery evoked the largest MEP, meaning that the brain’s motor area was activated the most. This work may prove to be significant as a reference in designing motor imagery therapy protocols for stroke patients.