Abstract
We investigated the effect of motor imagery on the excitability of the spinal neural function in healthy subjects using the F-wave, which is considered to be an index of motor neuron excitability. Previous research has shown that motor imagery with isometric contraction may increase the excitability of spinal neuronal function. Our study results show that during motor imagery tasks, the excitability of the spinal neural function was facilitated much more with movement preparation than without movement preparation. No significant difference was found between the motor imagery tasks performed with and without vision, as indicated by the excitability of the spinal neural function. In addition, subjective evaluation indicated that vision did not influence the excitability of the spinal neural function during the motor imagery task. From these findings, we conclude the following two important points for motor imagery use in the field of rehabilitation: 1) a motor imagery task with movement preparation is more effective at facilitating the spinal neural function, and 2) an easier method of performing motor imagery, such as one with vision, does not necessarily facilitate the excitability of the spinal neural function.
