Abstract
This study aimed to determine the influence of motor imagery of finger opposition movements with differing complexities on the excitability of spinal neural function using F-wave analysis. Fifteen healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. F-waves were recorded under the following 4 conditions: at rest; during motor imagery of opposition movement of the right thumb and index finger (task 1); during motor imagery of opposition movement of the right thumb and index, middle, ring, and little fingers (task 2); and during motor imagery of opposition movement of the right thumb and index, ring, middle, and little fingers (task 3). To determine whether the subjects could recollect each task, a questionnaire was distributed after the experiment. The F/M amplitude ratio was significantly higher during task 2 than at rest. F-wave persistence was significantly higher during tasks 1 and 2 than at rest. The questionnaire score was significantly lower for task 3 than for tasks 2 and 1. These results suggest that the excitability of spinal neural function increases during motor imagery of finger opposition movements with differing complexities.
