Impact of Auditory and Visual Information on Corticospinal Excitability and Vividness in Mental Practice Using Motor Imagery: A Pilot Study in Healthy Adults

Purpose/Aim: Observation of task-related videos during motor imagery (MI) is frequently incorporated into mental practice as a strategy to enhance imagery vividness. However, the effects of auditory and visual information obtained from task videos on MI generation during complex, task-oriented activities of daily living remain unclear. Materials and Methods: This pilot study of eight healthy adults examined the effects of sensory information from a video of an activity of daily living on MI under four conditions: no information, auditory information, visual information, and combined auditory and visual information. The MI task involved cutting paper with scissors. Corticospinal excitability during MI was assessed using motor-evoked potentials elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation, and subjective MI vividness was evaluated using a visual analog scale. Results: Corticospinal excitability differed significantly across the four conditions (no information, auditory information, visual information, and combined auditory and visual information); however, post hoc analyses did not reveal significant differences between individual conditions. In contrast, subjective MI vividness differed significantly across conditions, with the combined auditory and visual condition yielding the highest vividness ratings. Visual information tended to facilitate MI more effectively than auditory information. Conclusions: These findings suggest that combining visual and auditory sensory information enhances the subjective vividness of MI during mental practice for activities of daily living. Incorporating task-related sensory information may therefore support more effective implementation of mental practice in rehabilitation, particularly in occupational therapy practice.