PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Individuals with aphantasia report having difficulties or an inability to generate visual images of objects or events. So far, there is no evidence showing that this condition also impacts the motor system and the generation of motor simulations. We probed the neurophysiological marker of aphantasia during explicit and implicit forms of motor simulation, i.e. motor imagery and action observation, respectively. We tested a group of individuals without any reported imagery deficits (phantasics) as well as a group of individuals self-reporting the inability to mentally simulate images or movements (aphantasics). We instructed the participants to explicitly imagine a maximal pinch movement in the visual and kinaesthetic modalities and to observe a video showing a pinch movement. By means of transcranial magnetic stimulation, we triggered motor-evoked potentials in the target right index finger. As expected, the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials, a marker of corticospinal excitability, increased for phantasics during kinaesthetic motor imagery and action observation relative to rest but not during visual motor imagery. Interestingly, the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials did not increase in any of the conditions for the group of aphantasics. This result provides neurophysiological evidence that individuals living with aphantasia have a real deficit in activating the motor system during motor simulations.
摘要：
患有阿凡特症的人报告有困难或无法生成物体或事件的视觉图像。到目前为止,没有证据表明这种情况也会影响电机系统和电机模拟的生成。我们在运动模拟的显式和隐式形式中探索了迟发性的神经生理学标记，即运动意象和动作观察，分别。我们测试了一组没有任何报告的图像缺陷（幻象）的个体，以及一组自我报告无法在心理上模拟图像或运动（幻象）的个体。我们指示参与者明确地想象视觉和动觉方式中的最大捏运动，并观察显示捏运动的视频。通过经颅磁刺激,我们在目标右手食指中触发了运动诱发电位。不出所料,运动诱发电位的振幅，皮质脊髓兴奋性的标志，相对于休息，在动觉运动意象和动作观察期间的幻象增加，而在视觉运动意象期间则没有。有趣的是,运动诱发电位的振幅在任何情况下都没有增加。该结果提供了神经生理学证据，表明生活在运动模拟过程中的人在激活运动系统方面确实存在缺陷。
