Normal Aging and Motor Imagery Vividness: Implications for Mental Practice Training in Rehabilitation

作者：Malouin Francine^*; Richards Carol L; Durand Anne

来源：Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2010, 91(7): 1122-1127.

DOI：10.1016/j.apmr.2010.03.007

• Aging
• Rehabilitation

Malouin F, Richards CL, Durand A. Normal aging and motor imagery vividness: implications for mental practice training in rehabilitation. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2010;91:1122-7.
Objective: To investigate the effects of normal aging on motor imagery vividness and working memory.
Design: Descriptive study with 3 groups.
Setting: Laboratory of a university-affiliated research rehabilitation center.
Participants: A sample of healthy persons (N=80) divided into 3 age groups: young (26 +/- 5.0y), intermediate (53.6 +/- 5.4y), and elderly (67.6 +/- 4.6y).
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures: The kinesthetic and visual imagery scores of the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire and scores from 3 domains of working memory (visuospatial, kinesthetic, verbal).
Results: Results revealed that visual motor imagery scores were higher than kinesthetic scores (imagery effect: P=.001); however, there was also a significant imagery X group interaction (P=.017). Post hoc analyses showed that only the young and intermediate groups had higher visual than kinesthetic motor imagery scores (P=.005 and .001, respectively), indicating a loss of visual motor imagery dominance in the elderly group. There was no group effect (P=.963) signifying that the level of motor imagery vividness was comparable between age groups. Significant decreases (17.3% and 22.5%, respectively) in visuospatial working memory scores were found in the intermediate (P=.011) and elderly (P=.001) groups, whereas a significant reduction (P=.01) in kinesthetic working memory scores was observed only in the elderly group (26.7%). There was also an age-related significant decline of visuospatial (r=.50) and kinesthetic (r=.34) working memory.
Conclusions: The level of motor imagery vividness does not diminish with age, but the quality changes. The dominance of visual motor imagery lessens with aging resulting in motor imagery modality-equivalence. These motor imagery alterations are associated with an age-related decline in visuospatial and kinesthetic working memory.

• 出版日期2010-7