Modulation of EMG power spectrum frequency during motor imagery.

Full Abstract

To provide evidence that motor imagery (MI) is accompanied by improvement of intramuscular conduction velocity (CV), we investigated surface electromyographic (EMG) activity of 3 muscles during the elbow flexion/extension. Thirty right-handed participants were asked to lift or to imagine lifting a weighted dumbbell under 3 types of muscular contractions, i.e. concentric, isometric and eccentric, taken as independent variables. The EMG activity of the agonist (long and short heads of biceps brachii) and the antagonist (long portion of triceps brachii) muscles was recorded and processed to determine the median frequency (MF) of EMG power spectrum as dependant variable. The MF was significantly higher during the MI sessions than during the resting condition while the participants remained strictly motionless. Moreover, the MF during imagined concentric contraction was significantly higher than during the eccentric. Thus, the MF variation was correlated to the type of contraction the muscle produced. During MI, the EMG patterns corresponding to each type of muscle contraction remained comparable to those observed during actual movement. In conclusion, specific motor programming is hypothesized to be performed as a function of muscle contraction type during MI.

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Author information

Author/s: Lebon, F (F); Rouffet, D (D); Collet, C (C); Guillot, A (A);

Affiliation: Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport (C.R.I.S.) EA 647, Laboratoire de la Performance Motrice, Mentale et du Matériel (P3M), France.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Neuroscience letters (Neurosci Lett), published in Ireland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Apr; vol 435 (issue 3) : pp 181-5

Dates: Created 2008/05/29; Completed 2008/09/24;

PMID: 18343579, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Imagery (Psychotherapy)
Male
Muscle Contraction - physiology
Muscle, Skeletal - physiology
Spectrum Analysis - methods
Weight-Bearing - physiology

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