title: Motor imagery reinforces brain compensation of reach-to-grasp movement after cervical spinal cord injury.
abstract: Individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) that causes tetraplegia are challenged with dramatic sensorimotor deficits. However, certain rehabilitation techniques may significantly enhance their autonomy by restoring reach-to-grasp movements. Among others, evidence of motor imagery (MI) benefits for neurological rehabilitation of upper limb movements is growing. This literature review addresses MI effectiveness during reach-to-grasp rehabilitation after tetraplegia. Among articles from MEDLINE published between 1966 and 2015, we selected ten studies including 34 participants with C4 to C7 tetraplegia and 22 healthy controls published during the last 15 years. We found that MI of possible non-paralyzed movements improved reach-to-grasp performance by: (i) increasing both tenodesis grasp capabilities and muscle strength; (ii) decreasing movement time (MT), and trajectory variability; and (iii) reducing the abnormally increased brain activity. MI can also strengthen motor commands by potentiating recruitment and synchronization of motoneurons, which leads to improved recovery. These improvements reflect brain adaptations induced by MI. Furthermore, MI can be used to control brain-computer interfaces (BCI) that successfully restore grasp capabilities. These results highlight the growing interest for MI and its potential to recover functional grasping in individuals with tetraplegia, and motivate the need for further studies to substantiate it.
authors.affiliation: ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292 Lyon, France ; Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Henry Gabrielle, Plateforme Mouvement et Handicap Lyon, France ; Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport, EA 647, Performance Motrice, Mentale et du Matériel, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon Villeurbanne, France ; Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5672 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mateo
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport, EA 647, Performance Motrice, Mentale et du Matériel, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Rienzo
authors.affiliation: Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5672 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Vance
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bergeron
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport, EA 647, Performance Motrice, Mentale et du Matériel, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon Villeurbanne, France ; Institut Universitaire de France Paris, France.
authors.forename: Aymeric
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guillot
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport, EA 647, Performance Motrice, Mentale et du Matériel, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Collet
authors.affiliation: ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292 Lyon, France ; Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Henry Gabrielle, Plateforme Mouvement et Handicap Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rode
keywords: brain plasticity; compensation; grasping; kinematic; motor control; motor imagery; recovery; tetraplegia