Gymnasts' Ability to Modulate Sensorimotor Rhythms During Kinesthetic Motor Imagery of Sports Non-specific Movements Superior to Non-gymnasts
Previous psychological studies using questionnaires have consistently reported that athletes have superior motor imagery ability, both for sports-specific and for sports-non-specific movements. However, regarding motor imagery of sports-non-specific movements, no physiological studies have demonstra...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.757308/full |
| _version_ | 1819025339395866624 |
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| author | Hirotaka Sugino Junichi Ushiyama Junichi Ushiyama |
| author_facet | Hirotaka Sugino Junichi Ushiyama Junichi Ushiyama |
| author_sort | Hirotaka Sugino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Previous psychological studies using questionnaires have consistently reported that athletes have superior motor imagery ability, both for sports-specific and for sports-non-specific movements. However, regarding motor imagery of sports-non-specific movements, no physiological studies have demonstrated differences in neural activity between athletes and non-athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in sensorimotor rhythms during kinesthetic motor imagery (KMI) of sports-non-specific movements between gymnasts and non-gymnasts. We selected gymnasts as an example population because they are likely to have particularly superior motor imagery ability due to frequent usage of motor imagery, including KMI as part of daily practice. Healthy young participants (16 gymnasts and 16 non-gymnasts) performed repeated motor execution and KMI of sports-non-specific movements (wrist dorsiflexion and shoulder abduction of the dominant hand). Scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded over the contralateral sensorimotor cortex. During motor execution and KMI, sensorimotor EEG power is known to decrease in the α- (8–15 Hz) and β-bands (16–35 Hz), referred to as event-related desynchronization (ERD). We calculated the maximal peak of ERD both in the α- (αERDmax) and β-bands (βERDmax) as a measure of changes in corticospinal excitability. αERDmax was significantly greater in gymnasts, who subjectively evaluated their KMI as being more vivid in the psychological questionnaire. On the other hand, βERDmax was greater in gymnasts only for shoulder abduction KMI. These findings suggest gymnasts' signature of flexibly modulating sensorimotor rhythms with no movements, which may be the basis of their superior ability of KMI for sports-non-specific movements. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T05:09:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c2ab8a671a9f41d58ed049e6c4ea713a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-9367 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T05:09:07Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living |
| spelling | doaj.art-c2ab8a671a9f41d58ed049e6c4ea713a2022-12-21T19:15:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sports and Active Living2624-93672021-11-01310.3389/fspor.2021.757308757308Gymnasts' Ability to Modulate Sensorimotor Rhythms During Kinesthetic Motor Imagery of Sports Non-specific Movements Superior to Non-gymnastsHirotaka Sugino0Junichi Ushiyama1Junichi Ushiyama2Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, JapanFaculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, Fujisawa, JapanDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, JapanPrevious psychological studies using questionnaires have consistently reported that athletes have superior motor imagery ability, both for sports-specific and for sports-non-specific movements. However, regarding motor imagery of sports-non-specific movements, no physiological studies have demonstrated differences in neural activity between athletes and non-athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in sensorimotor rhythms during kinesthetic motor imagery (KMI) of sports-non-specific movements between gymnasts and non-gymnasts. We selected gymnasts as an example population because they are likely to have particularly superior motor imagery ability due to frequent usage of motor imagery, including KMI as part of daily practice. Healthy young participants (16 gymnasts and 16 non-gymnasts) performed repeated motor execution and KMI of sports-non-specific movements (wrist dorsiflexion and shoulder abduction of the dominant hand). Scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded over the contralateral sensorimotor cortex. During motor execution and KMI, sensorimotor EEG power is known to decrease in the α- (8–15 Hz) and β-bands (16–35 Hz), referred to as event-related desynchronization (ERD). We calculated the maximal peak of ERD both in the α- (αERDmax) and β-bands (βERDmax) as a measure of changes in corticospinal excitability. αERDmax was significantly greater in gymnasts, who subjectively evaluated their KMI as being more vivid in the psychological questionnaire. On the other hand, βERDmax was greater in gymnasts only for shoulder abduction KMI. These findings suggest gymnasts' signature of flexibly modulating sensorimotor rhythms with no movements, which may be the basis of their superior ability of KMI for sports-non-specific movements.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.757308/fullathleteskinesthetic motor imagery (KMI)electroencephalogram (EEG)event-related desynchronization (ERD)the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ) |
| spellingShingle | Hirotaka Sugino Junichi Ushiyama Junichi Ushiyama Gymnasts' Ability to Modulate Sensorimotor Rhythms During Kinesthetic Motor Imagery of Sports Non-specific Movements Superior to Non-gymnasts Frontiers in Sports and Active Living athletes kinesthetic motor imagery (KMI) electroencephalogram (EEG) event-related desynchronization (ERD) the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ) |
| title | Gymnasts' Ability to Modulate Sensorimotor Rhythms During Kinesthetic Motor Imagery of Sports Non-specific Movements Superior to Non-gymnasts |
| title_full | Gymnasts' Ability to Modulate Sensorimotor Rhythms During Kinesthetic Motor Imagery of Sports Non-specific Movements Superior to Non-gymnasts |
| title_fullStr | Gymnasts' Ability to Modulate Sensorimotor Rhythms During Kinesthetic Motor Imagery of Sports Non-specific Movements Superior to Non-gymnasts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gymnasts' Ability to Modulate Sensorimotor Rhythms During Kinesthetic Motor Imagery of Sports Non-specific Movements Superior to Non-gymnasts |
| title_short | Gymnasts' Ability to Modulate Sensorimotor Rhythms During Kinesthetic Motor Imagery of Sports Non-specific Movements Superior to Non-gymnasts |
| title_sort | gymnasts ability to modulate sensorimotor rhythms during kinesthetic motor imagery of sports non specific movements superior to non gymnasts |
| topic | athletes kinesthetic motor imagery (KMI) electroencephalogram (EEG) event-related desynchronization (ERD) the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ) |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.757308/full |
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