Elucidation of neural substrates of motor imagery and imitation for establishing evidence-based physical therapy

Abstract

Motor imagery and imitation have been widely used in physical therapy. However, all of their neural mechanisms have been not always clarified. Understanding of their neural substrates leads to not only enhancement of the scientific evidence of physical therapy but also development in new neurorehabilitation. In this review, I would like to introduce achievements of our MEG study focused on motor imagery and imitation. Motor imagery: The relationship between M1 activity representing motor information in real and imagined movements have yet to be fully elucidated. We investigated the similarities and differences in M1 activity during real and imagined movements using MEG. Imitation: Imitation is a complex process that includes higher-order cognitive and motor function. This process requires an observation-execution matching system that transforms an observed action into an identical movement. Although recent studies have demonstrated the relationship between the neural substrate of imitation and the mirror neuron system, few studies have focused on the mechanisms of imitation from the aspect of neural oscillation. We examined oscillatory neural activities associated with imitation.