Investigating Central Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Action Observation and Imagery Through Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

ABSTRACT

Sport and exercise psychologists provide some interventions for clients based on limited direct evidence and partial understanding of the mechanisms that underpin their efficacy. The authors review a recent technique, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which offers a tested procedure for investigating cortical activity during observation and imagery processes. They provide a detailed description of the TMS protocol and highlight some of the key studies that inform sport and exercise psychology research. Finally, the authors offer some thoughts on the direct application to practice.

Keywords:

• action observation
• corticospinal facilitation
• movement imagery
• transcranial magnetic stimulation

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was funded, in part, by the Government of Malta. The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their comments to improve an earlier version of this paper.

Notes

1. The relatively recent discovery of a group of visuomotor neurons that seem to have a role in action execution, action observation, and possibly movement imagery has been termed the mirror neuron system, arguably, a major neuroscience finding of relevance to movement imagery and action observation (Van Gog, Paas, Marcus, Ayres, & Sweller, 2009). Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have identified a wider network of mirror neurons within premotor, parietal, and temporal areas, which are active during action execution and action observation (for a more comprehensive review, see Rizzolatti & Craighero, 2004). The term mirror system is now commonly used.

2. As with the action observation studies, EMG activity needs to be monitored throughout movement imagery experiments to control for nonexperimental muscle activity at all times. In this way, MEP changes can be attributed to changes in the corticospinal system as a result of the movement imagery.