title: Motor imagery is less efficient in adults with probable developmental coordination disorder: evidence from the hand rotation task.
abstract: The present study aimed to provide preliminary insight into the integrity of motor imagery (MI) in adults with probable developmental coordination disorder (pDCD). Based on a strong body of evidence indicating that paediatric samples of DCD often experience difficulties engaging MI, we hypothesised that young adults with pDCD would demonstrate similar difficulties. The performance of 12 young adults (19-35 years) with pDCD was compared to 47 age-matched controls on a traditional mental hand rotation task. Mean inverse efficiency scores were generated for each participant by dividing each participant's mean RT by their proportion of correct responses at each of the stimuli presentation conditions. Preliminary analysis revealed that the performance profiles of individuals with pDCD and age-matched controls showed evidence of being constrained by the biomechanical and postural constraints of real movement, suggesting that both groups engaged in an embodied (MI) strategy to complete the task. Despite engaging in a MI strategy, however, young adults with pDCD were nonetheless significantly less efficient when doing so, shown by significant main effects for group on all group efficiency comparisons. Based on the assumption that MI provides insight into the internal 'neural' action representation that precedes action, we argue that the less efficient MI performance demonstrated by young adults with pDCD may indicate inefficiencies engaging or implementing internal action representations. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: c.hyde@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hyde
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fuelscher
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Buckthought
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Enticott
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Psychology, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gitay
authors.affiliation: College of Sport and Exercise Science & Institute of Sport Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012399:Rotation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Action representation; Developmental coordination disorder; Hand rotation task; Motor imagery