Should motor imagery be used in physiotherapy? Recent advances in cognitive neurosciences

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to stimulate or to initiate clinical research with the use of motor imagery in motor rehabilitation. Recent developments in the cognitive neurosciences concerning the physiological basis as well as the information processing underlying motor imagery may have a positive impact on motor rehabilitation. Indeed, evidence that motor imagery and motor programming share, to some extent, the same neural mechanism, may suggest physiotherapists pay more attention to cognitive motor processes and their implications for motor recovery.