The effect of leisure activity golf practice on motor imagery: an fMRI study in middle adulthood

Abstract

Much is known about practice-induced plasticity of the motor system. But it is not clear how a physical training influences the mental rehearsal of the practiced task and its associated hemodynamic responses. In the present longitudinal study with two measurement time-points, we used the method of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a motor imagery task, in order to explore the dynamic neuro-functional changes induced by a highly complex physical training. The 11 golf novices between the age of 40 and 60 years practiced the motor training as leisure activity. Additionally, data from an age and sex-matched control group without golf training was collected. As a main result, we demonstrate that changes between the two measurement time-points were only found in the golf novice group. The golf novices showed a decrease in hemodynamic responses during the mental rehearsal of the golf swing in non-primary motor areas after the 40 h of golf practice. Thus, the results indicate that a complex physical leisure activity induces functional neuroplasticity in the seldom studied population of middle-aged adults, and that this effect is evident during mental rehearsal of the practiced task. This finding supports the idea that (a) a skill improvement is associated with a modified activation pattern in the associated neuronal network that can be identified during mental rehearsal of the practiced task, and that (b) a strict training protocol is not necessary to induce functional neuroplasticity.

Keywords: fMRI; functional neuroplasticity; middle adulthood; motor imagery; motor learning.

Figure 1

Increased hemodynamic response while mentally rehearsing a golf swing (MI) in the golf and control group at baseline (T1). (1) left premotor cortex; (2) left superior parietal lobe; (3) left nucleus caudatus; (4) right premotor cortex; (5) right nucleus caudatus. The color bar represents the T-values.

Figure 2

Training-induced changes of neuronal recruitment while mentally rehearsing a golf swing (MI). (1), (2), (3) right premotor cortex; (4) left premotor cortex. The color bar represents the T-values. The indices relate to the numbers used in Table 4 and Figure 3.

Figure 3

Interaction effects for changes of neuronal recruitment during MI, between the golf (black) and the control (gray) group: dPMC, dorsal premotor cortex. The indices relate to the numbers used in Table 4 and Figure 2. Error bars represent 1 SE.