This study investigates the effects of MI, physical practice (PP), and their combination (CB) on serial reaction time, focusing on premotor time, reaction time (RT), and accuracy rate immediately after training.
This randomized crossover study included three training groups: MI, PP, and CB, with a one-week washout period between conditions. Each training session consisted of four serial reaction time blocks. Data on RT and accuracy rate were collected using SuperLab.
Fifteen volunteers participated, with all completing the training under the three conditions. Significant improvements in RT were observed post-training across all conditions, with the PP condition showing the fastest premotor time and the CB condition demonstrating a significant RT reduction compared to other conditions. Despite these gains in premotor time and RT, accuracy rates remained unchanged across conditions (FDR-corrected p-value 0.05).
Premotor time, reflecting central nervous system processes during the preparatory phase, is influenced by factors such as motivation and task complexity. Effective motor skill development relies on repetitive practice and sensorimotor feedback to enhance neural plasticity. PP, which provides real-time feedback for error correction, is more effective in improving physical performance than MI, which lacks immediate feedback. However, MI can facilitate motor learning, particularly intrinsic sequence learning, similar to physical practice. Our findings revealed a significant reduction in premotor time across all conditions, with the largest decrease in the PP condition. Notably, accuracy rates showed no significant differences among the three conditions, suggesting that practice improves RT by refining participants' sequencing abilities rather than enhancing general task familiarity.
The study's findings underscore the importance of combining motor imagery with physical practice to optimize motor learning and suggest practical strategies for enhancing skill acquisition and rehabilitation outcomes. For individuals with cognitive impairments or brain lesions who may struggle with explicit motor learning, the findings suggest that motor imagery could be a valuable complementary tool in rehabilitation.
Serial reaction time task
Implicit learning
