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Hartmann M, Falconer CJ, Kaelin-Lang A, Müri RM, Mast FW. Imagined paralysis reduces motor cortex excitability. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14069. [PMID: 35393640 PMCID: PMC9539708 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Mental imagery is a powerful capability that engages similar neurophysiological processes that underlie real sensory and motor experiences. Previous studies show that motor cortical excitability can increase during mental imagery of actions. In this study, we focused on possible inhibitory effects of mental imagery on motor functions. We assessed whether imagined arm paralysis modulates motor cortical excitability in healthy participants, as measured by motor evoked potentials (MEPs) of the hand induced by near-threshold transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the primary motor cortex hand area. We found lower MEP amplitudes during imagined arm paralysis when compared to imagined leg paralysis or baseline stimulation without paralysis imagery. These results show that purely imagined bodily constraints can selectively inhibit basic motor corticospinal functions. The results are discussed in the context of motoric embodiment/disembodiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Hartmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Faculty of Psychology, UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Switzerland
| | - Caroline J Falconer
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alain Kaelin-Lang
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of BioMedical Research, University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Regional Hospital of Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland.,Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - René M Müri
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of BioMedical Research, University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Fred W Mast
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Does second-scale intertrial interval affect motor evoked potentials induced by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation? Brain Stimul 2012; 5:526-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2011.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2010] [Revised: 07/12/2011] [Accepted: 07/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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