Boran H Evren, Akgor Merve Ceren, Kurtkaya Kocak Ozlem, Alaydin Halil Can, Kilinc Hasan, Turkmen Nur, Cengiz Bulent
Department of Neurology, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, TUR.
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, TUR.
Cureus. 2024 Oct 18;16(10):e71798. doi: 10.7759/cureus.71798. eCollection 2024 Oct.
Although motor imagery (MI) has been reported to increase motor cortical excitability, its effect on central motor conduction time (CMCT), a widely used neurophysiological diagnostic method, has not been investigated. In this study, we sought to determine the effect of MI on CMCT.
In this cross-sectional study, 21 healthy volunteers (11 females, 10 males) aged 24 to 67 years (mean age: 38.8 years) were recruited between April 2022 and June 2023. CMCT was calculated during MI from the abductor digiti minimi (ADM) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. Measurements were also performed with conventional measurement methods, such as resting and voluntary contraction, to compare the effect of MI on CMCT.
The ANOVA test revealed that the CMCT session (rest, MI, and voluntary contraction) was a significant factor (p < 0.05). In both muscles, CMCT was shorter in the imagery state than in the resting state but longer than in the voluntary contraction state (p < 0.05). Similarly, motor-evoked potential (MEP) latencies obtained during imagery were shorter for both muscles than the resting state but longer for the voluntary contraction state.
The study's findings suggest that MI is a mental activity that modulates CMCT measurement. MI shows a voluntary contraction-like effect on CMCT and MEP latency, although the effect is more uncertain.
尽管已有报道称运动想象（MI）可增加运动皮层兴奋性，但尚未研究其对中枢运动传导时间（CMCT）这一广泛应用的神经生理学诊断方法的影响。在本研究中，我们试图确定运动想象对中枢运动传导时间的影响。
在这项横断面研究中，于2022年4月至2023年6月招募了21名年龄在24至67岁之间（平均年龄：38.8岁）的健康志愿者（11名女性，10名男性）。在运动想象期间，从尺侧小指展肌（ADM）和胫前肌（TA）计算中枢运动传导时间。还采用静息和自主收缩等传统测量方法进行测量，以比较运动想象对中枢运动传导时间的影响。
方差分析测试显示，中枢运动传导时间阶段（静息、运动想象和自主收缩）是一个显著因素（p < 0.05）。在两块肌肉中，想象状态下的中枢运动传导时间均短于静息状态，但长于自主收缩状态（p < 0.05）。同样，在想象期间获得的运动诱发电位（MEP）潜伏期在两块肌肉中均短于静息状态，但长于自主收缩状态。
该研究结果表明，运动想象是一种调节中枢运动传导时间测量的心理活动。运动想象对中枢运动传导时间和运动诱发电位潜伏期显示出类似自主收缩的效应，尽管这种效应更具不确定性。
