Projects

» Imagination

Imagination is used as a strategy for sensorimotor training in athletes and musicians. We use fMRI and TMS to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying motor imagery, imagery training and therapy. We therefore investigate healthy participants, who are naive in imagery training, professional musicians and athletes using imagery training but also different patient groups. We were one of the first using fMRI to investigate differences in imagined representation in patients with complete deafferentation (limb amuputation, spinal cord injury). In different cooperation projects with the Sport and Exercise Institutes of Auckland (NZ), Giessen (Germany) and Dijon (France) we investigate different aspects of imagery training.


The guardian, 4th of June 2016:
www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jun/04/aphantasia-no-visual-imagination-impact-learning


Pilotstudy on imagined and executed fist movement with the right hand (Lotze et al., 1999)

Currently running study together with Dijon: Imagery training; fMRI prediction of training outcome (Lebon, Domin, Lotze)

Publications:
Ladda A.M., Lebon F., Lotze M. (2021) Using motor imagery practice for improving motor performance – a review. Brain and Cognition, 150:105705.
Ladda A.M., Lotze M. (2019) Mentales Training, Bewegungsbeobachtung. Neuroreha 11;118-122.
Lebon F., Horn U., Domin M., Lotze M. (2018) Motor imagery training: kinesthetic imagery strategy and inferior parietal fMRI activation. Human Brain Mapping, 39(4):1805-1813.
Lotze M. und Munzert J. (2015) Imaginationstraining. Neuroreha 6:4.
Walz AD., Usichenko T., Moseley GL., Lotze M. (2013) Graded motor imagery and the impact on pain processing in a case of CRPS. J of Clinical Pain, 29(3):276-9.
Lotze, M. (2013) Mental imagery of musical performance. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7:280. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00280.
Lebon F.*, Lotze M.*, Stinear CM, Byblow WD. (2012) Task-Dependent Interaction between Parietal and Contralateral Primary Motor Cortex during Explicit versus Implicit Motor Imagery; PlosOne 7(5):e37850. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037850.(*equal contribution).
Lotze, M., Zehntgraf, K. (2010) Contribution of the primary motor cortex to motor imagery. In: Motor Imagery. Ed: Guillot; Oxford University Press.
Lotze, M., Moseley, L. (2007) Role of Distorted Body Image for Pain, Current Rheumatology Reports 9:488-496.
Lotze M., Halsband, H. (2006) Motor Imagery. Journal of Physiology-Paris 99: 386-395.
Lotze M., Scheler G., Tan HRM., Braun C, Birbaumer N. (2003) The musician’s brain: functional imaging of amateurs and professionals during performance and imagery. NeuroImage 20: 1817-1829.
Lotze M., Flor H., Grodd W., Larbig W., Birbaumer N. (2001) Phantom movements and pain: an fMRI study in upper limb amputees. Brain 124 (10): 2268-2277.
Lotze M., Laubis-Herrmann U., Erb M., Topka H., Grodd W. (1999) Reorganization in the primary motor cortex after spinal cord injury - a functional magnetic resonance study. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience 14: 183-187.
Lotze M., Montoya P., Erb M, Hülsmann E., Flor H., Klose U., Birbaumer N., Grodd W. (1999) Activation of cortical and cerebellar motor areas during executed and imagined hand movements: An fMRI study. J. Cogn. Neuroscience 11: 491-501.

Founding:
Funding from 2018-22 together with Florent Lebon (INSERM Dijon) by the DFG (LO 795/28-1)
DFG travel grand 2011 (LO 795/10-1)
BMBF-cooperation support: New Zealand-Germany 2012-2015 (NZL 11/005)