Bewegungsbeobachtung im neurorehabilitativen kontext

The so-called »mirror neurons« discharge either when a goal-directed action is performed or when one observes another individual performing the same or a similar action. It has been proposed that a system consisting of these neurons is involved in action recognition, action imitation and motor learning. The »Videotherapy« [15] uses the activation of the mirror neuron system for a neurorehabilitative treatment of hemiparetic patients by using standardized action observation combined with the imitation of the observed actions to archive achieve reorganisational processes within the premotor and motor cortex. The therapy allows significant motor improvement of the patients through activation of the mirror neuron system that can not be achieved by using isolated physical exercise. Here we complete these former results with the analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data concerning a motor exercise of our patients using the non-paretic hand. The comparison of the contrast pre- to post-treatment of the experimental and control groups yielded a significant rise in activity of the mirror neuron system only within videotherapy patients. With this result we suppose movement observation having a reorganisational effect on motor areas through the activation of the mirror neuron system.