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The embodied nature of motor imagery: the influence of posture and perspective

Experimental Brain Research volume 194, pages 233–243 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

It is assumed that imagining oneself from a first-person perspective (1PP) is more embodied than a third-person perspective (3PP). Therefore, 1PP imagery should lead to more activity in motor and motor-related structures, and the postural configuration of one’s own body should be particularly relevant in 1PP simulation. The present study investigated whether proprioceptive information on hand position is integrated similarly in 1PP and 3PP imagery of hand movements. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, 20 right-handed female college students watched video sequences of different hand movements with their right hand in a compatible versus incompatible posture and subsequently performed 1PP or 3PP imagery of the movement. Results showed stronger activation in left hemisphere motor and motor-related structures, especially the inferior parietal lobe, on 1PP compared with 3PP trials. Activation in the left inferior parietal lobe (parietal operculum, SII) and the insula was stronger in 1PP trials with compatible compared with incompatible posture. Thus, proprioceptive information on actual body posture is more relevant for 1PP imagery processes. Results support the embodied nature of 1PP imagery and indicate possible applications in athletic training or rehabilitation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Kristin Zimmermann, Henning Heckmann and Heiko Maurer for their helpful support. This research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Research Training Group (“Graduiertenkolleg”), GRK 885 “NeuroAct-Neuronal Representation and Action Control”. We also thank Jonathan Harrow for native speaker advice.

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  1. Institute for Sports Science, University of Giessen, Kugelberg 62, 35394, Giessen, Germany

    Britta Lorey, Matthias Bischoff, Sebastian Pilgramm, Jörn Munzert & Karen Zentgraf

  2. Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, University of Giessen, Otto-Behagel-Str. 10 H, 35394, Giessen, Germany

    Britta Lorey, Matthias Bischoff, Sebastian Pilgramm, Rudolf Stark & Karen Zentgraf

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  1. Britta Lorey
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  2. Matthias Bischoff
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Correspondence to Britta Lorey.

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Lorey, B., Bischoff, M., Pilgramm, S. et al. The embodied nature of motor imagery: the influence of posture and perspective. Exp Brain Res 194, 233–243 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-008-1693-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-008-1693-1

Keywords

  • Motor imagery
  • Embodied cognition
  • Action simulation
  • Hand posture
  • fMRI