Effect of motion imagery to counter rest-induced suppression of F-wave as a measure of anterior horn cell excitability.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
To test if motor imagery prevents the rest-induced suppression of anterior horn cell excitability.

METHODS:
Ten healthy subjects underwent two separate experiments, each consisting of stimulating the median nerve 100 times and recording F-waves from abductor pollicis brevis (APB) in three consecutive sessions:
(1) after muscle exercise to standardize the baseline, (2) after immobilization of APB for 3h and (3) after muscle exercise to check recovery. We instructed the subject to volitionally relax APB in experiment 1 (relaxation task), and to periodically simulate thumb abduction without actual movement in experiment 2 (imagery task).

RESULTS:
F-wave persistence and amplitude declined after relaxation task and recovered quickly after exercise, but changed little with imagery task. F-wave latencies showed no change when analyzed individually. The frequency distribution of collective F-waves recorded from all subjects remained the same after relaxation task, but showed a shift toward longer latencies after imagery task.

CONCLUSIONS:
Mental imagery without overt motor output suffices to counter the effect of sustained volitional muscle relaxation, which would, otherwise, cause a reversible reduction in anterior horn cell excitability.

SIGNIFICANCE:
This finding documents the importance of central drive for spinal excitability, which affects F-wave studies of a paretic muscle.

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Author information

Author/s: Taniguchi, S (S); Kimura, J (J); Yamada, T (T); Ichikawa, H (H); Hara, M (M); Fujisawa, R (R); Shimizu, H (H); Tani, T (T);

Affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu Oko-cho, Nankoku-shi, Kochi 783-8505, Japan. taniguts-koc(-atsign-)umin.ac.jp

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (Clin Neurophysiol), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jun; vol 119 (issue 6) : pp 1346-52

Dates: Created 2008/05/05; Completed 2008/07/10; Revised 2008/09/10;

PMID: 18396453, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Clin Neurophysiol. 2008 Jun;119(6):1215-6. (PMID: 18406201)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Analysis of Variance
Anterior Horn Cells - physiology
Electric Stimulation - methods
Evoked Potentials, Motor - physiology
Exercise - physiology
Female
Humans

Imagery (Psychotherapy)
Male
Motion
Motor Cortex - physiology
Muscle, Skeletal - innervation; physiology; radiation effects
Neural Inhibition - physiology; radiation effects
Reaction Time - physiology
Relaxation

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