title: Motor imagery ability in patients with traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess motor imagery (MI) ability in patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital rehabilitation unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with traumatic brain injury (mean coma duration, 18d) undergoing rehabilitation (n=20) and healthy controls (n=17) matched for age and education level.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  The vividness of MI was assessed using a revised version of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised second version (MIQ-RS); the temporal features were assessed using the time-dependent motor imagery (TDMI) screening test, the temporal congruence test, and a walking trajectory imagery test; and the accuracy of MI was assessed using a mental rotation test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MIQ-RS revealed a decrease of MI vividness in the TBI group. An increasing number of stepping movements was observed with increasing time periods in both groups during the TDMI screening test. The TBI group performed a significantly smaller number of imagery movements in the same movement time. The temporal congruence test revealed a significant correlation between imagery and actual stepping time in both groups. The walking trajectory test revealed an increase of the imagery and actual walking time with increasing path length in both groups, but the ratio of imaginary walking over actual walking time was significantly greater than 1 in the TBI group. Results of the hand mental rotation test indicated significant effects of rotation angles on imagery movement times in both groups, but rotation time was significantly slower in the TBI group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our patients with TBI demonstrated a relatively preserved MI ability indicating that MI could be used to aid rehabilitation and subsequent functional recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. kristine.oostra@UZGent.be
authors.forename: Kristine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Oostra
authors.forename: Annelies
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vereecke
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vanderstraeten
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vingerhoets
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult