title: Action observation and motor imagery for rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and an integrative hypothesis.
abstract: This article discusses recent evidence supporting the use of action observation therapy and motor imagery practice for rehabilitation of Parkinson's disease. A main question that emerges from the review regards the different effectiveness of these approaches and the possibility of integrating them into a single method to enhance motor behaviour in subjects with Parkinson's disease. In particular, the reviewed studies suggest that action observation therapy can have a positive effect on motor facilitation of patients and that a long-term rehabilitation program based on action observation therapy or motor imagery practice can bring some benefit on their motor recovery. Moreover, the paper discusses how the research on the combined use of action observation and motor imagery for motor improvements in healthy subjects may encourage the combined use of action observation therapy and motor imagery practice for therapeutic aims in Parkinson's disease. To date, this hypothesis has never been experimented.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (ISTC-CNR), Via San Martino della Battaglia 44, I-00185 Roma, Italy. Electronic address: daniele.caligiore@istc.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caligiore
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (ISTC-CNR), Via San Martino della Battaglia 44, I-00185 Roma, Italy; Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, IRCCS, Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina, 306, 00179, Roma, Italy. Electronic address: mustilemagda@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mustile
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Behavioural Neurology, Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, IRCCS, Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina, 306, 00179, Roma, Italy; Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: g.spalletta@hsantalucia.it.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spalletta
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (ISTC-CNR), Via San Martino della Battaglia 44, I-00185 Roma, Italy. Electronic address: gianluca.baldassarre@istc.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baldassarre
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D019018:Imagery, Psychotherapy; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Action observation; Action observation therapy; Combined use of action observation therapy and motor imagery practice; Cortical-subcortical neural network; Mirror neurons; Motor imagery; Motor imagery practice; Neurology; Parkinson's disease; Rehabilitation; Treatments