The effect of motor imagery and action observation on autonomic functions in patients with chronic stroke

• Published in: Topics in stroke rehabilitation Vol. 31; no. 7; p. 713
• Main Authors: Kiloatar, Humeyra, Aydogdu Delibay, Aylin, Gokpinar, Hasan Huseyin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 02.10.2024
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Autonomic Nervous System - physiopathology; Blood Pressure - physiology; Case-Control Studies; Chronic Disease; Female; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Imagery, Psychotherapy - methods; Imagination - physiology; Male; Middle Aged; Stroke - physiopathology; Stroke Rehabilitation; Walking - physiology; action execution; motor imagery; Stroke; autonomic nervous system; action observation
• ISSN: 1945-5119
• DOI: 10.1080/10749357.2024.2322884

This study aimed to investigate the effects of motor imagery (MI), action observation (AO), and action execution (AE) interventions on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in individuals with chronic stroke. This was a single-center, randomized, case-control study. Thirty-six patients were randomly assigned to MI (  = 10), AO (  = 15), and the AE group (  = 11). Heart rate (HR)-based measurements (HR, heart rate variability (HRV)) and blood pressure were evaluated before the practice of each group. In the MI group, participants were instructed to imagine themselves walking at their own comfortable pace for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in the AO group, participants were shown a video of a person walking for 5 minutes. Finally, in the AE group, participants were instructed to actually walk for 5 minutes. Then, all measurements were taken again. A statistically significant difference was found in HR and mean RR interval within the AE group (  < 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the Root Mean Square of Successive Differences Between Normal Heartbeats (RMSSD) (ms) within the AO group (  < 0.05). There was a significant difference in HR and mean RR intervals (ms) between groups (  < 0.05). According to post-hoc analyses, HR was statistically significantly higher in the AE group compared to the other groups, and the mean RR interval was statistically significantly lower (  < 0.05). In conclusion, in patients with chronic stroke, AE and AO may affect ANS by increasing sympathetic activation. It is recommended for future studies to evaluate whether patients actually engage in imagery during the MI task.