Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Dec 2:5:14.
doi: 10.1186/s40945-015-0013-x. eCollection 2015.

Action observation training to improve motor function recovery: a systematic review

Elisabetta Sarasso  1   2 , Mariano Gemma  1 , Federica Agosta  2 , Massimo Filippi  2 , Roberto Gatti  3
Affiliations
Review

Action observation training to improve motor function recovery: a systematic review

Elisabetta Sarasso et al. Arch Physiother. .

Abstract

Following the discovery of Mirror Neuron System (MNS), Action Observation Training (AOT) has become an emerging rehabilitation tool to improve motor functions both in neurologic and orthopedic pathologies. The aim of this study is to present the state of the art on the use of AOT in experimental studies to improve motor function recovery in any disease. The research was performed in PubMed, PEDro, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (last search July 2015). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that analyse efficacy of AOT for recovery of motor functions, regardless of the kind of disease, were retrieved. The validity of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool for evaluating risk of bias. Twenty RCTs were eligible. Four studies showed AOT efficacy in improving upper limb functional recovery in participants with chronic stroke, two studies in sub-acute ones and one in acute ones. Six articles suggested its effectiveness on walking performance in chronic stroke individuals, and three of them also suggested an efficacy in improving balance. The use of AOT was also recommended in individuals with Parkinson's disease to improve autonomy in activities of daily living, to improve spontaneous movement rate of self-paced finger movements and to reduce freezing of gait. Other two studies also indicated that AOT improves upper limb motor function in children with cerebral palsy. The last two studies, showed the efficacy of AOT in improving motor recovery in postsurgical orthopedic participants. Overall methodological quality of the considered studies was medium. The majority of analyzed studies suggest the efficacy of AOT, in addition to conventional physiotherapy, to improve motor function recovery in individuals with neurological and orthopedic diseases. However, the application of AOT is very heterogeneous in terms of diseases and outcome measures assessed, which makes it difficult to reach, to date, any conclusion that might influence clinical practice.

Keywords: Action observation; Motor function recovery; Systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of study selection
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Overview of the risk of bias according to Cochrane Collaboration’s “Risk of bias” tool [13]. formula image Low risk of bias. formula image High risk of bias. formula image Unclear risk of bias
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. di Pellegrino G, Fadiga L, Fogassi L, Gallese V, Rizzolatti G. Understanding motor events: a neurophysiological study. Exp Brain Res. 1992;91:176–80. doi: 10.1007/BF00230027. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fadiga L, Fogassi L, Pavesi G, Rizzolatti G. Motor facilitation during action observation: a magnetic stimulation study. J Neurophysiol. 1995;73:2608–11. - PubMed
    1. Lotze M, Montoya P, Erb M, Hülsmann E, Flor H, Klose U, et al. Activation of cortical and cerebellar motor areas during executed and imagined hand movements: an fMRI study. J Cogn Neurosci. 1999;11:491–501. doi: 10.1162/089892999563553. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cattaneo L, Rizzolatti G. The mirror neuron system. Arch Neurol. 2009;66:557–60. doi: 10.1001/archneurol.2009.41. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rizzolatti G, Craighero L. The mirror-neuron system. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2004;27:169–92. doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.27.070203.144230. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources