Initial recruitment of occipital cortex activation during mental target performance predicts training gain of mental aiming

Motor imagery (MI) practice is increasingly studied for applications in sports and music. However, most existing research has focused on single movement components, neglecting the complexity of everyday actions. To overcome this limitation, we developed a multimodal approach using a complex aiming task. Fifty healthy volunteers participated in a training experiment for aiming using an MRI-compatible tablet. In order to understand successful mental training strategies and associated neural representation, we correlated training gain, behavioral scores, psychophysiological- and fMRI-parameters before and after a short-term (< 20 min) mental training period. MI practice significantly enhanced aiming performance. Besides of other findings, the pre-training occipital activation during MI predicted training gain in aiming precision. Our results demonstrate that MI practice can effectively improve both speed and accuracy in aiming tasks through distinct neural pathways. Such insights may pave the way for developing personalized MI training programs tailored to individual motor abilities, performance goals, and neurophysiological profiles.