Effects of neurofeedback on standing postural control task with combined imagined and executed movements

Shun Sawai; Shoya Fujikawa; Chihiro Ohsumi; Ryu Ushio; Kosuke Tamura; Ryosuke Yamamoto; Yoshihiro Kai; Shin Murata; Keisuke Shima; Hideki Nakano

doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1199398

Effects of neurofeedback on standing postural control task with combined imagined and executed movements

Front Neurosci. 2023 Jul 7:17:1199398. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1199398. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shun Sawai^{1

2}, Shoya Fujikawa³, Chihiro Ohsumi³, Ryu Ushio³, Kosuke Tamura³, Ryosuke Yamamoto⁴, Yoshihiro Kai^{1

3}, Shin Murata^{1

3}, Keisuke Shima⁵, Hideki Nakano^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kyoto Tachibana University, Kyoto, Japan.
² Department of Rehabilitation, Kyoto Kuno Hospital, Kyoto, Japan.
³ Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kyoto Tachibana University, Kyoto, Japan.
⁴ Department of Rehabilitation, Tesseikai Neurosurgical Hospital, Shijonawate, Japan.
⁵ Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan.

Abstract

Introduction: Motor imagery (MI) is a method of imagining movement without actual movement, and its use in combination with motor execution (ME) enhances the effects of motor learning. Neurofeedback (NFB) is another method that promotes the effects of MI. This study aimed to investigate the effects of NFB on combined MI and ME (MIME) training in a standing postural control task.

Methods: Sixteen participants were randomly divided into MIME and MIME + NFB groups and performed 10 trials of a postural control task on an unstable board, with nine trials of MI in between. Electroencephalogram was assessed during MI, and the MIME + NFB group received neurofeedback on the degree of MI via auditory stimulation. A postural control task using an unstable board was performed before and after the MIME task, during which postural instability was evaluated.

Results: Postural instability was reduced after the MIME task in both groups. In addition, the root mean square, which indicates the sway of the unstable board, was significantly reduced in the MIME + NFB group compared to that in the MIME group.

Conclusion: Our results indicate that MIME training is effective for motor learning of standing postural control. Furthermore, when MI and ME are combined, the feedback on the degree of MI enhances the learning effect.

Keywords: combination; motor execution; motor imagery; neurofeedback; standing postural control.