Abstract
Motor imagery (MI; imagined movement) can be a useful strategy in neurorehabilitation for Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, some studies have found MI to be altered in PD, which could limit the effectiveness of therapeutic approaches utilizing MI. Interoception (the representation of internal body signals) can also be altered in PD, possibly related to disrupted functioning of the insula. Interoception has been linked to action control and sense of agency, as well as being implicated in the generation of MI. The present study explored the relationship between interoceptive awareness and MI in individuals with PD.
Participants completed an interoception questionnaire (MAIA-2), a measure of MI vividness (KVIQ-10), and a hand laterality judgement task as a measure of implicit MI.
Preliminary results (N = 9) indicate a positive relationship between interoceptive awareness (MAIA-2) and MI vividness (KVIQ-10). In contrast, an inverse relationship was found between hand laterality judgement accuracy and both the MAIA-2 and KVIQ-10. A similar relationship between interoception and hand laterality judgement in older adults has previously been reported by other researchers. This pattern of results may reflect a tendency for individuals with higher levels of interoceptive awareness to attend more to internal representations of the body and movement to generate MI, and less to external stimuli that may evoke implicit MI.
Further research will identify whether the relationship between MI and interoception differs between people with and without PD.
