Structural and functional features characterizing the brains of individuals with higher controllability of motor imagery

Motor imagery is a higher-order cognitive brain function that mentally simulates movements without performing the actual physical one. Although motor imagery has attracted the interest of many researchers, and mental practice utilizing motor imagery has been widely used in sports training and post-stroke rehabilitation, neural bases that determine individual differences in motor imagery ability are not well understood. In this study, using controllability of motor imagery (CMI) test that can objectively evaluate individual ability to manipulate one's imaginary postures, we examined structural and functional features characterizing the brains of individuals with higher controllability of motor imagery, by analyzing T1-weighted structural MRI data obtained from 89 participants and functional MRI data obtained from 28 of 89 participants. The higher CMI test scorers had larger volume in the bilateral superior frontoparietal white matter regions. The CMI test activated the bilateral dorsal premotor cortex (PMD) and superior parietal lobule (SPL); specifically, the left PMD and/or the right SPL enhanced functional coupling with the visual body, somatosensory, and motor/kinesthetic areas in the higher scorers. Hence, controllability of motor imagery is higher for those who well-develop superior frontoparietal network, and for those whose this network accesses these sensory areas to predict the expected multisensory experiences during motor imagery. This study elucidated for the first time the structural and functional features characterizing the brains of individuals with higher controllability of motor imagery, and advanced understanding of individual differences in motor imagery ability.