Gymnasts' ability to modulate bioelectric sensorimotor rhythms during kinesthetic motor imagery of sports non-specific movements

Previous psychological studies using questionnaires have consistently reported that athletes have superior motor imagery ability, both for sports-specific and sports non-specific movements. However, regarding motor imagery of sports non-specific movements, no physiological studies have demonstrated differences in neural activity between athletes and non-athletes. The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in bioelectric sensorimotor rhythms during kinesthetic motor imagery (KMI) of sports non-specific movements between gymnasts and non-gymnasts. We selected gymnasts as an example population because they are likely to have particularly superior motor imagery ability due to frequent usage of motor imagery including KMI as part of daily practice. Healthy young participants (16 gymnasts and 16 non-gymnasts) performed repeated motor execution and KMI of sports non-specific movements (wrist dorsiflexion and shoulder abduction of the dominant hand). Scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded over the contralateral sensorimotor cortex. During motor execution and KMI, sensorimotor EEG power is known to decrease in the - (8-15 Hz) and {beta}-bands (16-35 Hz), referred to as event-related desynchronization (ERD). We calculated the maximal peak of ERD both in the - (ERDmax) and {beta}-bands ({beta}ERDmax) as a measure of changes in corticospinal excitability. ERDmax was significantly greater in gymnasts, who subjectively evaluated their KMI as being more vivid, for both KMI tasks. On the other hand, {beta}ERDmax was greater in gymnasts only for shoulder abduction KMI. These findings suggest gymnasts signature of flexibly modulating sensorimotor rhythm with no movements, which may be the basis of their superior ability of KMI for sports non-specific movements. New & NoteworthyKinesthetic motor imagery of sports non-specific movements was compared between gymnasts and non-gymnasts (i.e., healthy controls) from both physiological and psychological approaches. The EEG sensorimotor rhythms during kinesthetic motor imagery were more desynchronized in gymnasts who subjectively imaged their own movements as being more vivid. The work reveals novel ability in gymnasts to flexibly control their sensorimotor rhythms with no actual movements, which would be the basis of their superior ability of motor imagery.