Brain Plasticity Induced by Motor Imagery Training: Role of Cognitive Abilities, Interoceptive Sensibility, and Hypnotizability.
Eleonora Malloggi, Enrica L Santarcangelo
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 2026 DOI: 10.1080/00207144.2026.2669243 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Participants with high, medium, and low hypnotizability |
| Duration | 15-day MIT, with sessions before (S1) and after (S2) |
| Topics | Neuroplasticity |
| Keywords | EEG Hypnotizability Imagery Interoception Neurorehabilitation |
| Key points | After 15 days of motor imagery training, participants in all hypnotizability groups reported greater imagery efficacy, and EEG changes in aperiodic and oscillatory components indicated improved imagery. Functional equivalence between actual and imagined movement was observed in high beta power spectral density for all groups. The authors suggest that similar changes seen after training during both baseline and tasks reflect neural plasticity. |
Abstract
High hypnotizability predicts greater similarity between the cortical correlates of actual and imagined action (functional equivalence, FE). The study investigated whether motor imagery (MI) training (MIT) improves subjective experience, chronometric indices, and the EEG correlates of MI (like physical training), and whether absorption, imagery abilities, and interoceptive sensibility influence the possible improvement. Participants with high, medium, and low hypnotizability participated in a session before MIT (S1) and another session after 15-day MIT (S2). Each session included baseline conditions (B), actual movements of the left arm and hand (M), visual (V), and kinesthetic imagery (K) of the same movements. EEG and ECG were monitored. After MIT, the reported efficacy of imagery increased, and the changes in both the aperiodic and oscillatory components of EEG indicated improved imagery in all groups. FE was observed for all groups in high beta PSD. Its similar changes that occurred after MIT during both baseline and tasks indicate neural plasticity.
Comparable studies
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| Brain-targeted epigenetic effects of two emerging psychoplastogens: ketamine & MDMA Clinical trial participants | 2026 | Clinical trial | n = 36 |