Motor image recall ability affects the excitability of spinal nerve function in healthy participants executing mirror therapy tasks at different complexities.
Takahiro Takenaka
PMID 32158072WHAT IT FOUND
Mirror illusion tasks produced higher spinal nerve response in people with poorer motor image recall, but only during an ordered finger task.
The study was in healthy adults, not patients.
Key findings
01Spinal nerve excitability was higher in the low image recall group than the high image recall group, but the difference was significant only for Task 2.
02Task 2 involved the thumb moving against the index, middle, ring, and little fingers in order, while Task 3 used a mixed order.
03The study was done in healthy adults and did not measure patient movement or function.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The paper states 30 healthy adults, but only 12 are reported in each image recall group. Results are from healthy adults, not actual patients. The outcome was the F/M amplitude ratio, a nerve excitability measure, not hand function or clinical recovery. The discussion suggests moderate task difficulty, but this was not tested in patients.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the significant Task 2 result as proof that mirror therapy works or that a specific task should be used with patients. The participants were healthy adults, the outcome was spinal nerve excitability, and only a single task reached significance.