Abstract:
Background: Motor learning is improvement of motor performance through motor imagery or physical practice. Motor imagery of a motor task is a symbolic rehearsal of a task without any overt motor output and it assists a person in mentally preparing for performing a task. Due to its effectiveness, it has widely been used in rehabilitation of sports injuries in athletes and of stroke-effected patients.
Objective: Current study was to investigate the impact of motor imagery of one motor task on learning of second motor task. In addition to that, our aim was to find out if kinesthetic motor imagery ability of individuals has any correlation with task performance of second motor task.
Methodology: Bimanual finger tapping task was selected for motor imagery practice and a button press task was selected to evaluate the effect of tapping practice using motor imagery. 13 subjects were considered for analysis. These subjects were categorized as “ITNF+B”. They performed motor imagery (I) of tapping task (T) with no-feedback (NF) and button task (B). The group was compared with previous available data of groups TF+B, TNF+B and B. TF+B performed tapping with feedback and button task. TNF+B performed tapping without feedback and button task. B group performed only button task.
Results: One-way ANOVA shows presence of significant difference between all groups in early learning stage with F(3,48)=5.0874, p<0.05. Applying Tukey test for post hoc analysis shows a significant difference of groups TF+B with B and ITNF+B with B in early learning stage. In addition, there was a significant difference between all groups in late learning stage with F(3,48)=7.2271, p<0.05. Applying Tukey test for post hoc analysis shows a significant difference of groups TF+B with B, TNF+B with B and ITNF+B with B. Correlation of individual motor imagery ability with performance scores of button task resulted in negative correlation in both early and later stages of learning with r = -0.2768 and r = -0.6889. Conclusion: This study suggests that previously learned behaviors using motor imagery can facilitate the learning of new motor behaviors. In fact, imagery practice of a motor behavior yields better results in learning of new behavior as compared to actual practice. Moreover, imagery score of an individual, after practice of one motor behavior modulates the learning of a new behavior.
