Short-Term Kinesthetic Training for Sensorimotor Rhythms: Effects in Experts and Amateurs

ABSTRACT

The authors’ aim was to examine whether short-term kinesthetic training affects the level of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) in different frequency band: alpha (8–12 Hz), lower beta (12.5–16 Hz) and beta (16.5–20 Hz) during the execution of a motor imagery task of closing and opening the right and the left hand by experts (jugglers, practicing similar exercises on an everyday basis) and amateurs (individuals not practicing any sports). It was found that the performance of short kinesthetic training increases the power of alpha rhythm when executing imagery tasks only in the group of amateurs. Therefore, kinesthetic training may be successfully used as a method increasing the vividness of motor imagery, for example, in tasks involving the control of brain–computer interfaces based on SMR.

Keywords:

• sensorimotor rhythms
• kinesthetic training
• jugglery
• motor imagery
• EEG

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by the National Science Centre (Poland) grants No. 2011/03/N/HS6/02798 and 2012/05/N/HS6/03894.