title: Specific Brain Lesions Impair Explicit Motor Imagery Ability: A Systematic Review of the Evidence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine which neurologic disorders/lesions impair or restrict motor imagery (MI) ability.
  
  
  METHODS
  CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsychINFO, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and Grey Literature were searched between May 8 and May 14, 2014. Keywords and Medical Subject Headings from 2 concepts (MI and lesion) were exploded to include related search terms (eg, mental practice/mental imagery, neurologic damage/lesion).
  
  
  METHODS
  Two independent reviewers assessed the 3861 studies that resulted from the database search. The studies were assessed for relevancy using the following inclusion criteria: use of explicit kinesthetic MI; neurologic lesion location identified; and use of an MI ability assessment tool.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three studies encompassing 196 participants were included. The 23 studies used 8 different methods for assessing MI ability. MI assessment scores were then normalized to facilitate comparison across studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lesion locations comprised many brain areas, including cortical (eg, parietal and frontal lobes), subcortical (eg, basal ganglia, thalamus), and cerebellum. Lesion etiology primarily was comprised of stroke and Parkinson disease. Several participants presented with lesions resulting from other pathologies. Subjects with parietal lobe damage were most impaired on their ability to perform MI. Subjects with frontal lobe and basal ganglia damage also consistently showed impairment in MI ability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjects with damage to specific brain structures, including the parietal and frontal lobes, showed impaired MI ability. As such, MI-based neurorehabilitation may not be efficacious in all patient populations. Therefore, decisions related to the use of MI in neurorehabilitation should, in part, be based on the patient's underlying pathophysiology.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Brain Recovery and Function, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; School of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McInnes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Brain Recovery and Function, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Friesen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Brain Recovery and Function, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; School of Physiotherapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. Electronic address: s.boe@dal.ca.
authors.forename: Shaun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boe
mesh_terms: D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D019018:Imagery, Psychotherapy; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Imagery (psychotherapy); Nervous system diseases; Parkinson disease; Rehabilitation; Stroke