Article

Mirror visual feedback (MVF), a phenomenon where movement of one limb
is perceived as movement of the other limb, has the capacity to alleviate phantom
limb pain or promote motor recovery of the upper limbs after stroke. The tool has
received great interest from health professionals; however, a clear understanding
of the mechanisms underlying the neural recovery owing to MVF is lacking.
OBJECTIVE: We performed a systematic review to assess the effect of MVF on brain
activation during a motor task. METHODS: We searched PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE
databases for neuroimaging studies investigating the effect of MVF on the brain.
Key details for each study regarding participants, imaging methods, and results
were extracted. RESULTS:
The database search yielded 347 article, of which we
identified 33 suitable for inclusion. Compared with a control condition, MVF
increases neural activity in areas involved with allocation of attention and
cognitive control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, S1
and S2, precuneus). Apart from activation in the superior temporal gyrus and
premotor cortex, there is little evidence that MVF activates the mirror neuron
system. MVF increases the excitability of the ipsilateral primary motor cortex
(M1) that projects to the "untrained" hand/arm. There is also evidence for
ipsilateral projections from the contralateral M1 to the untrained/affected hand
as a consequence of training with MVF. CONCLUSION: MVF can exert a strong
influence on the motor network, mainly through increased cognitive penetration in
action control, though the variance in methodology and the lack of studies that
shed light on the functional connectivity between areas still limit insight into
the actual underlying mechanisms.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2014.

Langue : ANGLAIS