A joint research group from Shinshu University, Waseda University, Toyo University, Juntendo University, Kanoya University of Physical Education, and Nara Institute of Science and Technology used video footage of an expert's own face to observe movements when learning difficult motor movements. We found that performing motor imagery while performing exercises may increase cerebral excitability and promote motor learning.

 When trying to learn a new motor movement in sports, etc., if you observe the movement of an expert on video or imagine yourself performing the movement (motor imagery), the same neuronal groups as when actually performing the movement are activated. , has been shown to be effective for motor learning.

 On the other hand, for unknown and highly difficult movements, the activity of cerebral neuron groups does not increase even after movement observation and motor imagery, and no effect on motor learning is seen. Therefore, this research group investigated ways to activate the cerebrum even when performing difficult movements, and focused on ``one's own face.''

 People perceive their own faces more strongly than other people's faces, increasing activity in the brain's inferior parietal lobule. The inferior parietal lobule has neural connections to brain areas related to movement, so if you perform motor imagery while observing a ``transformed image of the face of an expert performing a difficult task into your own face,'' you will be able to visualize the movement-related areas. We thought that this would increase activity in brain areas that

 Then, 12 subjects participated in the experiment, using a low-difficulty easy task (quickly raising both wrists) and a high-difficulty difficult task (twirling two tennis balls on the right palm). We compared the excitability of the cerebrum (corticospinal tract) when observing the movements of an expert and when observing the movements of a transformed image.

 As a result, in an easy task, there was no difference in cerebral excitability between experts and when observing transformed images, but in difficult tasks, cerebral excitability was greater when observing transformed images than when observing an expert. Ta. They also discovered that the greater the similarity between the transformed image and the person in question, the greater the excitability of the cerebrum.

 From this, it is thought that the combination of movement observation and motor imagery using a face conversion system using image conversion technology is useful when learning difficult movements. The results of this research are expected to be applied to the acquisition of new skills in sports and the reacquisition of movements in rehabilitation.

Paper information:[European Journal of Neuroscience] Observing an expert's action swapped with an observer's face increases corticospinal excitability during combined action observation and motor imagery

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