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What Do Eye Gaze Metrics Tell Us about Motor Imagery?

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  • Elodie Poiroux
  • Christine Cavaro-Ménard
  • Stéphanie Leruez
  • Jean Michel Lemée
  • Isabelle Richard
  • Mickael Dinomais

Abstract

Many of the brain structures involved in performing real movements also have increased activity during imagined movements or during motor observation, and this could be the neural substrate underlying the effects of motor imagery in motor learning or motor rehabilitation. In the absence of any objective physiological method of measurement, it is currently impossible to be sure that the patient is indeed performing the task as instructed. Eye gaze recording during a motor imagery task could be a possible way to “spy” on the activity an individual is really engaged in. The aim of the present study was to compare the pattern of eye movement metrics during motor observation, visual and kinesthetic motor imagery (VI, KI), target fixation, and mental calculation. Twenty-two healthy subjects (16 females and 6 males), were required to perform tests in five conditions using imagery in the Box and Block Test tasks following the procedure described by Liepert et al. Eye movements were analysed by a non-invasive oculometric measure (SMI RED250 system). Two parameters describing gaze pattern were calculated: the index of ocular mobility (saccade duration over saccade + fixation duration) and the number of midline crossings (i.e. the number of times the subjects gaze crossed the midline of the screen when performing the different tasks). Both parameters were significantly different between visual imagery and kinesthesic imagery, visual imagery and mental calculation, and visual imagery and target fixation. For the first time we were able to show that eye movement patterns are different during VI and KI tasks. Our results suggest gaze metric parameters could be used as an objective unobtrusive approach to assess engagement in a motor imagery task. Further studies should define how oculomotor parameters could be used as an indicator of the rehabilitation task a patient is engaged in.

Suggested Citation

  • Elodie Poiroux & Christine Cavaro-Ménard & Stéphanie Leruez & Jean Michel Lemée & Isabelle Richard & Mickael Dinomais, 2015. "What Do Eye Gaze Metrics Tell Us about Motor Imagery?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0143831
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143831
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. J. Randall Flanagan & Roland S. Johansson, 2003. "Action plans used in action observation," Nature, Nature, vol. 424(6950), pages 769-771, August.
    2. Arjan C ter Horst & Jonathan Cole & Rob van Lier & Bert Steenbergen, 2012. "The Effect of Chronic Deafferentation on Mental Imagery: A Case Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(8), pages 1-8, August.
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