Brain activity during motor imagery of an action with an object: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Nobuaki Mizuguchi, Hiroki Nakata, Takuji Hayashi, Masanori Sakamoto, Tetsuro Muraoka, Yusuke Uchida, Kazuyuki Kanosue*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

51 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the brain regions activated during motor imagery of an action with an object both with and without passively holding the object. Participants performed the following tasks: (1) 'Imagery with Ball' condition: subjects imagined squeezing a foam ball (7. cm diameter) while holding the ball, (2) 'Imagery' condition: subjects imagined squeezing a ball without holding the ball, and (3) 'Ball' condition: subjects held the ball without motor imagery. Regions activated by the 'Imagery with Ball' condition were located in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), supplemental motor areas (SMA), inferior parietal lobule (IPL), superior parietal lobule (SPL), insula, cerebellum and basal ganglia. A direct comparison revealed that the right DLPFC and the right IPL showed a higher level of activation during the 'Imagery with Ball' than during the 'Imagery'. +. 'Ball' conditions. Our studies suggested that the right front-parietal networks were involved in the motor imagery of an action with an object.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)150-155
Number of pages6
JournalNeuroscience Research
Volume76
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013 Jul
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • FMRI
  • Frontal-parietal circuit
  • Grasp
  • Mental practice
  • Motor imagery
  • Somatosensory

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neuroscience(all)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Brain activity during motor imagery of an action with an object: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this