Does Motor Imagery Training Enhance Control of Movement in Older Adults?

Motor Imagery Training, Force Steadiness and Neural Drive

The goal of this clinical trial is learn about motor imagery training (i.e. imagining a task) with healthy older adults. The main question this clinical trial aims to answer is:

• Will imagining a task improve control of force during an elbow flexion muscle contraction in healthy older adults?

Participants will:

• Complete questionaries about general activity levels and ability to imagine tasks
• Perform either motor imagery training or watch a documentary
• Perform maximal and submaximal elbow flexion contractions

Researchers will compare the motor imagery training with the control group to see if control of force is improved in the motor imagery training group.

Motor imagery training could be beneficial in rehabilitative settings when participants are not physically capable of preforming a motor task or in injury prevention scenarios such as when multiple repetitions of a motor task should not be performed. If the effects of motor imagery training are favourable then they could have meaningful influence on the performance of steady movements in older adults who experience declines in force steadiness with age. Therefore, the first aim of this study will be to determine if one session of motor imagery training will influence corticospinal excitability in older adults and improve force steadiness during isometric elbow flexion contractions with the observed benefit being greater in females. The second aim of this study will be to determine if there is an associated change in oscillations in common synaptic input to motor neurons with a change in force steadiness.

Inclusion Criteria:

Healthy older adults aged 65 to 90 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

1. have had an injury or orthopaedic surgery to the arm or shoulder in the prior 6 months
2. are involved in high levels of upper-body strength training
3. have history of training in fine motor tasks (i.e., musicians)
4. have a history of MIT
5. have systemic diseases and/or nerve damage affecting neuromuscular function
6. have severe cognitive impairment
7. are unable to read or speak English fluently
8. are left hand dominant