title: Improved motor performance in patients with acute stroke using the optimal individual attentional strategy.
abstract: It is believed that motor performance improves when individuals direct attention to movement outcome (external focus, EF) rather than to body movement itself (internal focus, IF). However, our previous study found that an optimal individual attentional strategy depended on motor imagery ability. We explored whether the individual motor imagery ability in stroke patients also affected the optimal attentional strategy for motor control. Individual motor imagery ability was determined as either kinesthetic- or visual-dominant by a questionnaire in 28 patients and 28 healthy-controls. Participants then performed a visuomotor task that required tracing a trajectory under three attentional conditions: no instruction (NI), attention to hand movement (IF), or attention to cursor movement (EF). Movement error in the stroke group strongly depended on individual modality dominance of motor imagery. Patients with kinesthetic dominance showed higher motor accuracy under the IF condition but with concomitantly lower velocity. Alternatively, patients with visual dominance showed improvements in both speed and accuracy under the EF condition. These results suggest that the optimal attentional strategy for improving motor accuracy in stroke rehabilitation differs according to the individual dominance of motor imagery. Our findings may contribute to the development of tailor-made pre-assessment and rehabilitation programs optimized for individual cognitive abilities.
authors.affiliation: Functional Brain Science Laboratory, Center for Development of Advanced Medical Technology, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan.|Department of Neurosurgery, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakurada
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan.|Rehabilitation Center, Jichi Medical University Hospital, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Center, Jichi Medical University Hospital, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan.|Department of Neurology, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.affiliation: Functional Brain Science Laboratory, Center for Development of Advanced Medical Technology, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.affiliation: Functional Brain Science Laboratory, Center for Development of Advanced Medical Technology, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan.|Department of Neurosurgery, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0498, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiju
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation