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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.10.04.510767

Motor imagery training is beneficial for motor memory of upper and lower limb tasks in very old adults

Hilt, P. M.·Bertrand, M.·Feasson, L.·Lebon, F.·Mourey, F.·Ruffino, C.·Rozand, V.
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Abstract

Human aging is associated with a decline in the capacity to memorize recently acquired motor skills. Motor imagery training is a beneficial method to compensate for this deterioration in old adults. It is not yet known whether these beneficial effects are maintained in very old adults (>80 years), more affected by the degeneration processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mental training session of motor imagery on the memorization of new motor skills acquired through physical practice in very old adults. Thirty very old adults performed 3 actual trials of a manual dexterity task (session 1) or a sequential footstep task (session 2) as fast as they could before and after a 20-min motor imagery training (mental-training group) or watching a documentary for 20 min (control group). Performance was improved after 3 actual trials for both tasks and both groups. For the control group, performance decreased in the manual dexterity task after the 20-min break and remained stable in the sequential stepping task. For the mental-training group, performance was maintained in the manual dexterity task after the 20-min motor imagery training and increased in the sequential stepping task. These results extended the benefits of motor imagery training to the very old population, showing that even a short motor imagery training improved their performance and favor the motor memory process. These results confirmed that motor imagery training is an effective method to complement traditional rehabilitation protocols.

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Hilt, P. M., Bertrand, M., Feasson, L., Lebon, F., Mourey, F., Ruffino, C., Rozand, V.. 2022-10-04. Motor imagery training is beneficial for motor memory of upper and lower limb tasks in very old adults. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.04.510767

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