Understand and optimize mental strategies in motor training – MentAct

Motor imagery is the mental simulation of action. Although it can assist in decision-making and skill improvement for novice and experts, the inter-individual variability of such improvement lowers the potential benefits at a broader level. The neural resources underlying motor imagery have been identified in the last two decades, but little is known about the optimal strategy that induces maximal improvement relative to the task (strength, aiming, sequence, etc.) and to the person’s ability (expertise). In the current project, we intend to use methods of sport science and brain imaging to investigate the effectiveness of mental training. To this end, we aim to assess the prime determinants that induce learning with mental training and to predict motor gain with neurophysiological and psychological data. In an interaction of cognitive psychology, sport science and brain imaging, we intend to gather data that will enable us to formulate specific instructions for optimizing imagery training for different performance improvements.