Résumé
Motor imagery (MI) ability is an individual's capacity to mentally rehearse a movement, either by picturing (visual MI) or imagining the sensations associated with the movement (kinaesthetic MI). Research suggests an association between motor experience (e.g., sports, music-related training) and MI ability, measured via self-report questionnaires. To expand understanding of this association, we examined whether sport and music-related training influences corticospinal excitability (CSE) during MI, a neurophysiological marker of imagery ability. Participants (N = 20, right-handed) completed separate questionnaires to assess their sport and music-related training and performed two blocks of MI of a finger abduction task under two MI conditions (kinaesthetic, visual; order counterbalanced). Single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was delivered over contralateral motor cortex during MI and at rest. Amplitude of resultant motor evoked potentials (MEPs) used to index CSE. A linear regression was conducted on MEPs (normalized to rest) obtained during MI, with condition (kinaesthetic, visual), amount of formal sport and formal musical training as predictor variables. Preliminary results (N = 8, aged 27±12) suggest CSE was increased during MI (vs. rest) [Kinaesthetic: M(normalized) = 316±343μV; Visual: M(normalized) = 324±472μV]. No evidence of an association between sport or music-related training and CSE was found (R²=0.21, F(3,12)=1.05, p=0.41). Findings suggest neurophysiological markers of MI ability may be independent of motor experience. Future work will explore nuances related to type of motor experience (team vs. individual sport, musical engagement vs. training) towards understanding whether motor experience influences neurophysiological response to MI.