Muscular activity during the observation of a mirror image : an EMG study

• Main Author: Liang, Eunice
• Other Authors: Kee Ying Hwa
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/73790
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Action observation (AO) and Mental Imagery (MI) has been a growing area of interest in fields such as motor learning and rehabilitation. Current research has placed emphasis on the neural mechanisms of AO and MI, and to what extend it shared similar neural mechanisms to actual movement execution. The purpose of this study is to understand muscular activity in humans during the observation of mirror images through the use of a surface Electromyography (sEMG) system. A total of 20 right-hand dominant individuals volunteered for this study and were required to attend one session involving the pronation of the left arm. A mirror was placed vertically in between both arms, perpendicular to the participants’ chest, such that they were able to see the mirror reflection of their left hand ‘superimposed’ on the right arm. Participants were instructed to observe the mirror image during the movement and EMG readings were taken from the Pronator Teres on the right forearm. Data analysis comparing the mean EMG readings of the Pronator Teres at rest, during the observation of a mirror image and without the observation of a mirror image revealed no statistical differences. This indicates that statistically, muscular activity is not affected by the observation of mirror images. However, 60% of the participants showed a greater mean EMG reading when there was observation of a mirror image as compared to when the mirror image was not present, suggesting that the observation of a mirror image could produce higher muscular activity in a passive non-moving arm. This study is important in understanding muscular activity and developing rehabilitation programs in the future.