L’objectif de ce travail était d’apporter des données encore inconnu sur la relation entre les corrélats neurophysiologiques de l’action et la représentation mentale. Un ensemble de six expérimentations ont été menées. Celles-ci nous ont permis de mieux comprendre les modalités d’utilisation de l’imagerie motrice qu’elle soit concomitante ou réaliser après la pratique réelle. Les effets de la pratique physique sur la capacité d’utilisation de l’imagerie motrice ont aussi été explorés. Nos résultats montrent que l’imagerie motrice est très efficace, qu’elle soit pratiquée de manière concomitante à la pratique réelle ou après celle-ci lorsque la fatigue physique est importante. Nous démontrons que des capacités d’imagerie élevées ne sont pas systématiquement reliées à une amélioration de la performance. De manière inédite nous démontrons que la pratique réelle peut–être bénéfique pour la capacité d’imagerie motrice d’une habilité fortement automatisée. De plus, des sessions de pratique physique prolongées et intermittentes semblent plus perturber la capacité d’imagerie motrice qu’une pratique continue. L’ensemble de ces résultats est une contribution importante aux connaissances relatives à l’utilisation de l’imagerie motrice dans la réhabilitation ou encore dans la pratique physique / The main purpose of the present work was to add substantial data regarding the psychophysiological correlates of action with respective mental representation. A total of six experimental protocols were developed to understand the mechanisms of using motor imagery concomitant and after actual practice, and the effects of exercise on motor imagery ability. According to our findings, motor imagery can very be usefull when performed concomitant with actual practice and even after an exercise session, when fatigue is most present. We demonstrate that higher levels of motor imagery ability are not always linked with greater performance enhancement. Unprecedentedly, we reported that an exercise session might even be beneficial for motor imagery ability of high-automated task. In addition, prolonged intermittent exercise session are more likely to impair motor imagery ability in comparison with continuous exercise. These findings are of special interest of sports coaches and rehabilitation professionals, which usually incorporate motor imagery into their physical training sessions

L'imagerie motrice, ou représentation interne d'un mouvement, est une technique d'entraînement mental ayant la particularité d'impacter la plasticité cérébrale activité-dépendante. La pertinence de son intégration au sein des programmes de rééducation fonctionnelle a été validée par de nombreuses études expérimentales, tout particulièrement pour les personnes victimes d'un accident vasculaire cérébral ou d'une lésion de la moelle épinière. Les résultats obtenus par ce travail de thèse élargissent l'éventail des populations pouvant bénéficier de cette approche en validant la faisabilité et en précisant les conditions optimales de l'intégration de l'imagerie motrice dans le cadre de la rééducation de personnes amputées du membre inférieur. Nous rapportons également des résultats préliminaires prometteurs quant à ses effets sur le recouvrement de leurs capacités locomotrices. Les données montrent que le travail en imagerie motrice devrait être spécifique aux mouvements fonctionnels bilatéraux et que, sous réserve d'une prochaine validation auprès de cette population, l'imagerie motrice de tâches posturales ainsi que l'utilisation conjointe de la stimulation transcrânienne à courant continu, devraient permettre de maximiser son pouvoir d'action sur le recouvrement de la locomotion de personnes amputées du membre inférieur / Motor imagery, which refers to the internal representation of a movement, has the potential to impact activity-dependent plasticity. The relevance of motor imagery, as a technique allowing substantial motor performance gains and motor recovery in the field of rehabilitation, has been validated by numerous experimental studies in stroke patients and persons suffering from spinal cord injury. By highlighting the possibility of integrating motor imagery within the framework of lower-limb amputees’ rehabilitation programs, and revealing promising preliminary data regarding locomotion recovery, the results of this thesis broaden the range of people which might benefit from this technique. Data further suggest that motor imagery should specifically focus on functional and bilateral tasks, and that concomitant use of transcranial direct current stimulation should contribute to potentiate the impact of motor imagery on locomotion recovery of lower-limb amputees

Observing others performing actions is a common way to learn new motor skills. Such ability appears to be linked with one’s ability to imagine actions (motor imagery) (Wang et al. 2014). While motor imagery has been widely used in the context of athletic performance, the same approach has also been advocated in rehabilitation settings, where they often target populations with chronic pain using mobile health applications (de la Vega and Miro 2014). However, we still have very limited information as to how the ability to perform motor imagery addresses this rehabilitation application (Johnson et al. 2012). In the present study, we examined this question by looking at modulation in corticospinal excitability in the context of a motor imagery task. The imagery task itself consisted of judging whether images depicting hands in different postures represented either right or left hands. Based on prior neuroimaging and chronometric studies, such laterality judgments about hand postures are thought to involve mental rotations of one’s own hand (i.e., a form of implicit motor imagery) and thus provided an ideal context to evaluate if advocating such strategy is a valid approach to elicit motor activation in rehabilitation patients (Butson et al. 2014; Goble and Brown 2008; Parsons 1987). To this end, we used non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to probe the excitability of the motor system while young healthy participants performed mental rotations in the hand judgment task. Corticospinal excitability was tested in both hemispheres separately (target muscle: first dorsal interosseous) with participants (n=18) seated in front of a computer screen while they performed hand laterality judgments using a commercial set of pictures depicting bare hands in different postures. Excitability was tested also under two other conditions to contrast with variations measured during the hand laterality task, i.e. a mental counting task and a control task (looking at the image of a static foot). In all conditions, TMS (110% resting motor threshold) was set to trigger at ~half of the mean response time in the hand laterality task measured prior to testing with TMS. Comparison of task-related variations in MEP amplitude revealed no significant hemispheric main effect or interaction, although MEPs tended to be larger in general in response to left TMS. A “task condition” effect was observed owing to the large MEP facilitation elicited during the mental counting task, which was significantly different (p<0.001) from either the control “Foot” task or the hand rotation task. In fact, the latter task tended to be associated with MEP depression. A secondary experiment involving a subset of participants (n=6) to examine the influence of image contents (i.e. hand performing actions instead of bare hands) and probing more proximal muscles produced similar results as the main experiment. These results indicate that the general assumption that laterality tasks involving body parts will lead to internal mental rotation and motor activation and enhanced excitability is not necessarily true. In fact, our observations suggest that participants may rely on non-motor strategies based on visual cues when making laterality judgments about body parts. As well, no evidence for hemispheric asymmetry was found with the hand laterality task which is in line with other recent reports. Collectively, these results highlight the need to exert caution when using laterality tasks for rehabilitation purposes. One cannot simply assume that such tasks will translate into motor simulation and facilitation of the motor system. More research should be undertaken before recommending the hand mental rotation task as a viable rehabilitation option for chronic pain.

L’analyse de l’activité électromyographique (EMG) corrélative de l’imagerie motrice (IM) et l’effet de l’entraînement mental sur l’amélioration et le recouvrement de la force musculaire permettent de mieux comprendre les mécanismes nerveux de l’IM et l’importance du contenu de l’image mentale. Une activité EMG subliminale a en effet été enregistrée lors de l’IM, validant l’hypothèse d’une inhibition incomplète de la commande motrice. Elle était modulée selon l’intensité de l’effort mental et le régime de contraction, comme lors d’une contraction physique. Ces données renforcent l’équivalence physiologique entre IM et exécution réelle. Les programmes d’entraînement et de réhabilitation intégrant l’IM s’appuient sur ces données théoriques. L’amélioration de la force musculaire était significativement plus importante suite à un entraînement combinant répétitions physiques et mentales, comparativement à une pratique physique seule, même si l’effet ne concernait que certains groupes musculaires. Ce travail démontre également l’efficacité d’un entraînement par IM, lorsqu’il est associé à des soins de kinésithérapie, après rupture du ligament croisé antérieur ou brûlure de la main. L’IM jouerait un rôle prépondérant dans l’activation des programmes moteurs et faciliterait la récupération fonctionnelle. L’IM peut donc être considérée comme un complément bénéfique aux programmes d’entraînement et de réhabilitation dans le développement et le recouvrement des fonctions motrices / Analyzing the electromyographic (EMG) activity accompanying motor imagery (MI) as well as the imagery‐related effects on strength enhancement contributes to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms of MI. Accordingly, the subliminal EMG activity recorded during MI supports the hypothesis of an incomplete inhibition of the motor command during mental rehearsal. Interestingly, the pattern of EMG response was modulated by the mental effort and the imagined contraction type, in the same way as during physical movement. Furthermore, the data provided evidence that MI contributed both to increase muscle strength, though strength gains were not observed in all muscles. Finally, MI was found to facilitate motor recovery following anterior cruciate ligament tear as well as in burned patients. These results confirm that MI should be considered a reliable and costeffective technique to improve motor recovery and motor performance.

L’imagerie motrice est la capacité à se représenter mentalement une action sans production concomitante de mouvement. Son efficacité reste assujettie au respect de nombreuses règles de pratique, parmi lesquelles la capacité à atteindre l'équivalence temporelle entre mouvements réels et imaginés. Les résultats de ce travail montrent que modifier la vitesse des mouvements imaginés se répercute sur la vitesse d’exécution réelle. De tels effets seraient toutefois modulés en fonction des exigences du mouvement imaginé. Le niveau d'expertise et le choix de stratégies individuelles relatif à la nature de la discipline sportive ont également un effet sur la durée des mouvements imaginés. Enfin, nos résultats démontrent que la capacité à préserver les caractéristiques temporelles du mouvement pendant l’imagerie est meilleure lorsque l’imagerie est effectuée avec un éveil physiologique proche de celui de la pratique réelle. Ces résultats sont discutés au regard du contexte de pratique de l'imagerie dans les activités physiques et sportives et sont confrontés aux travaux soulignant l’importance de recourir à des enregistrements physiologiques et d’étudier le degré de similitude entre pratique physique et imagerie motrice / Motor imagery resembles perceptual experience, but occurs in the absence of the appropriate external stimuli. Performing imagery efficiently requires some rules and conditions of practice to ascertain its effectiveness. The ability to reach temporal equivalence between actual and imagined movements, and the duration of mentally simulated actions should be correlated with the time taken to execute the same movement. The results of this work first showed that the effects of voluntarily changing imagery duration can alter the speed of the subsequent motor performance, but this effect is somewhat taskrelated. Both expertise level and individual strategies were also found to have an effect on temporal equivalence and are dependent on the specificities of the motor skills. Finally, chronometric data showed that the ability to reach the temporal equivalence between actual and imagined times is significantly greater for both the active and the basal imagery conditions, than when performed following relaxation. These results are discussed along the lines of practical application of imagery in sport. Also, characteristics of imagery experiences are studied reviewing the use of physiological recordings in relation to its accuracy and to the degree of similarity between actual motor performance and motor imagery

Bakgrund: Subacromiellt smärtsyndrom och rotatorcuffrelaterade besvär behandlas vanligtvis med rehabilitering i from av fysisk träning. Forskning visar mer och mer på positiv effekt av motorsimulering (MI) vid både träning och rehabilitering i from av bland annat ökad styrka och rörlighet. Området är dock inte tillräckligt utforskat och det saknas forskning på just SAPS och rotatorcuffproblematik.Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka om ett tillägg av mental träning genom MI vid rehabilitering av SAPS eller rotatorcuffrelaterade besvär kan bidra till ytterligare effekt i form av minskad smärta och förbättrad upplevd funktionsnivå.Metod: Studien utfördes som en experimentell studie med interventionsgrupp (n=10) som utförde fysisk rehabilitering och MI samt referensgrupp (n=11) som utförde fysisk rehabilitering under 8 veckor. Upplevd funktion och smärta undersöktes med WORC och NRS vid rehabiliteringsperiodens start, efter 4 veckor och efter 8 veckor. Data analyserades med Mann-Whitney U test och ANOVA repeated measures. WORC analyserades i sin helhet samt dess delområden och smärtan utifrån NRS och WORC:s två frågor om smärtaResultat: Det noterades inga signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna vid någon tidpunkt. För interventionsgruppen förelåg en signifikant förbättring på WORC:s totala poäng samt delområdena Fysisk, Arbete och Livsstil samt för smärtskattning VAS skarp smärta. För referensgruppen förelåg en signifikant förbättring för WORC:s delområden Fysiska, Arbete och Känslor samt NRS och smärtskattning VAS skarp smärta.Slutsats: Resultatet visar tendenser till att MI kan ha effekt som komplement till fysisk rehabilitering vid SAPS eller rotatorcuffsrelaterade besvär vad gäller upplevd funktion men inte för smärtminskning. Detta innebär att MI skulle kunna vara ett alternativ vid behandling av dessa besvär. Denna studie genomfördes som en pilotstudie med ett relativt lågt deltagarantal vilket gör att resultaten bör tolkas med försiktighet.

Context: Motor Imagery (MI) signal classification is a crucial task for developing Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) that allow people to control devices using their thoughts. However, traditional machine learning approaches often suffer from limited performance due to inter-subject variability and limited data availability. In response, adversarial learning has emerged as a promising solution to enhance the resilience and accuracy of BCI systems. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has not been a review of the literature on adversarial learning specifically focusing on MI classification. Objective: The objective of this thesis is to perform a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) focusing on the latest techniques of adversarial learning used to classify motor imagery signals. It aims to analyze the publication trends of the reviewed studies, investigate their use-cases, and identify the challenges in the field. Additionally, this research recognizes the datasets used in previous studies and their associated use-cases. It also identifies the pre-processing and adversarial learning techniques, and compare their performance. Additionally, it could aid in evaluating the replicability of the studies included. The outcomes of this study will assist future researchers in selecting appropriate datasets, pre-processing, and adversarial learning techniques to advance their research objectives. The comparison of models will also provide practical insights, enabling researchers to make informed decisions when designing models for motor imagery classification. Furthermore, assessing reproducibility might help in validating the research outcomes and hence elevate the overall quality of future research. Method: A thorough and systematic search following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines is undertaken to gather primary research articles from several databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, IEEEXplore, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Two independent reviewers evaluated the articles obtained based on predetermined eligibility criteria at the title-abstract level, and their agreement was measured using Cohen's Kappa. The articles that fulfill the criteria are then scrutinized at the full-text level by the same reviewers. Any discrepancies are resolved by the judge – played by the supervisor. Critical appraisal was employed to choose appropriate studies for data extraction, which was subsequently examined using bibliometric and descriptive analyses to answer the research questions. Result: The study's findings indicate substantial growth within the domain over the past six years, notably propelled by contributions from the Asian region. However, the need for augmented collaboration becomes evident as evidenced by the prevalence of insular co-author networks. Four principal use-cases for adversarial learning are identified, spanning data augmentation, domain adaptation, feature extraction, and artifact removal. The favored datasets are BCI Competition IV's 2a and 2b, often accompanied by band-pass filtering and exponential moving standardization preprocessing. This study identifies two primary adversarial learning techniques: GAN and Adversarial Training. GAN is mainly used for data augmentation and artifact removal, while adversarial training is employed for domain adaptation and feature extraction. Based on the results reported in the chosen papers, the accuracy achieved for data augmentation and domain adaptation use cases is nearly identical at 95.3%, while the highest accuracy for the feature extraction use case is 86.91%. However, for artifact removal, both correlation and root mean square methods have been referenced. Furthermore, a reproducibility table has been established which may help in evaluating the replicability of the selected studies . Conclusion: The outcomes provide researchers with valuable perspectives on less-explored areas that hold room for additional enhancement. Ultimately, these perspectives hold the promise of improving the practical applications intended to support individuals dealing with motor impairments.

Ce travail de thèse visait à étudier les effets de l'immobilisation de courte durée d'un membre sur les processus cognitifs impliqués dans la planification et le contrôle des mouvements. Précisément, nous avons examiné l'impact d'une immobilisation de courte durée du membre supérieur (main droite ou gauche) sur la représentation mentale des actions de ce membre. Pour cela, nous avons eu recours à une tâche d'imagerie motrice implicite (rotation mentale de stimuli corporels), en partant du principe qu'un ensemble de processus cognitifs similaires sont sollicités que l'action soit réellement ou simplement simulée. Nos résultats indiquent que l'inactivité physique modifie le fonctionnement des processus cognitifs permettant la réalisation et l'optimisation des actions. L'immobilisation de courte durée du membre supérieur altère la capacité des sujets à se représenter mentalement des actions. L'effet de ces perturbations (changement de stratégie d'imagerie, transfert inter-membre…) peut varier d'un individu à l'autre, ainsi qu'en fonction des contraintes de la tâche d'imagerie implicite et de la durée de l'immobilisation. Un second objectif visait à examiner le potentiel de l'imagerie motrice explicite pour réactiver le système sensorimoteur suite à la période d'immobilisation de la main. Nous montrons qu'une pratique mentale en imagerie motrice kinesthésique pendant la période d'immobilisation permet de contrecarrer les perturbations fonctionnelles induite par la restriction d'exercice. / The present thesis focused on the effects of short-term limb immobilization on the cognitive level of action control. Especially, we examined the influence of short-term upper-limb immobilization (right or left-hand) on the mental representation of action. To this aim, an implicit motor imagery task (mental rotation of body-stimuli) was used, assuming similar processes between motor simulation and motor execution. Results showed that physical inactivity affects the cognitive processing of action. Short-term upper-limb immobilization impaired the ability to mentally represent action. The immobilization-induced effects (switch from a motor to a visual imagery strategy, inte-limb transfer…) may vary from one individual to another, and may depend on the constraints of the implicit imagery task or with the period of immobilization (24h vs. 48h). A second aim of this thesis was to examine the potential of explicit motor imagery to reactivate the sensorimotor system after the period of sensorimotor restriction. We showed that kinesthetic imagery practice during the period of immobilization can counteract the functional impairment induced by sensorimotor restriction.

A Brain Computer Interface (BCI) provides a means, to control external devices, through the electrical activity of the brain, bypassing motor movement. Recent years have seen an increase in the application of P300 cognitive potential as a control and/or communication signal for the motor restoration in paralyzed patients, such as those in the later stages of ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Although many of these patients are in locked-in state i.e. where motor control is not possible, their cognition is known to remain intact. The P300 speller paradigm explored in this study relying on this cognition represented by the P300 peak potential in EEG (Electroencephalography) signals to restore communication. The conventional visual oddball paradigms used to elicit P300 potential may not be the optimum choice due to their need for precise eye-gazing, which may be challenge for many patients. This study introduces a novel paradigm with motor imagery as a secondary after-stimulus task in a traditional visual oddball paradigm for P300 Speller application. We observed increased P300 peak amplitude as well as the event-related desynchronization (ERD) associated with motor imagery in six healthy novice subjects. Acceptable detection accuracy was obtained in the five-trial averaged signals from 250 ms to 750 ms after the visual stimulation, whereby the early visual evoked potentials were excluded from classification. As an enhancement, efforts are being made to assess implementation by motor imagery embedded in an auditory oddball paradigm which would minimize the need for eye-gazing further. We can conclude from the results of this study that the proposed paradigm with motor imagery embedded in a traditional visual oddball paradigm might be a feasible option for communication restoration in paralyzed patients.

Le membre fantôme correspond à la persistance de perceptions sensitives et motrices attribuées au membre amputé. Des douleurs chroniques parfois invalidantes ainsi que des capacités d’évocation de mouvements dans le membre absent sont fréquemment rapportées. Très peu connue, cette motricité résiduelle est souvent considérée comme de l’imagerie motrice. Le premier objectif de cette thèse est de réinterroger le statut psychologique des mouvements de membre fantôme. Le second objectif est d’étudier le lien entre le contrôle moteur dans le membre fantôme et les réorganisations corticales dans le cortex moteur du sujet amputé. Au moyen de tests comportementaux et d’examens en Imagerie par Résonnance Magnétique fonctionnelle (IRMf), ces travaux de thèse ont permis de dissocier expérimentalement une forme de perceptions kinesthésiques associée à de l’imagerie motrice et une autre forme associée à de l’exécution motrice dans le membre fantôme. Cette distinction repose à la fois sur des différences de performances et sur le recrutement de régions cérébrales partiellement distinctes. Au-delà de cette distinction physiologique, les résultats obtenus suggèrent que les mouvements de membre fantôme s’apparentent à une forme d’exécution motrice plutôt qu’à de l’imagerie motrice. A travers le modèle du membre fantôme, ce travail aborde donc la question de la nature des informations menant à la perception d’un mouvement comme étant « exécuté ». Les altérations du fonctionnement cortical mises en évidence chez l’amputé peuvent représenter un modèle d’étude intéressant des différents mécanismes physiopathologiques relevés dans des situations de déficiences liées à une forme de plasticité « maladaptative ». Les observations cliniques et les examens en neuroimagerie menés au cours de cette thèse dressent en effet, un modèle relativement cohérent de l’organisation fonctionnelle du cortex après amputation. En particulier, l’existence d’un lien entre les réorganisations fonctionnelles au sein du cortex moteur et la qualité du contrôle moteur résiduel dans le membre fantôme permet de mieux comprendre les mécanismes sur lesquels reposent certaines thérapies antalgiques, comme les thérapies visuomotrices / The phantom limb is a sensory experience that is perceived to originate from the missing part. Amputees report that the phantom limb had certain sensory properties like touch and pain, as well as kinesthetic properties like being able to be moved voluntarily. Phantom limb movements are little-known and generally considered to reflect motor imagery rather than motor execution. The first aim of this thesis is to investigate whether amputees distinguish between executing a movement of the phantom limb and imagining moving the missing limb. The second aim is to examine the link between the quality of the motor control in the phantom limb and cortical reorganizations in the motor cortex of amputees. Behavioral tests and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) results reveal the ability of amputees to make the distinction between execution and motor imagery in the phantom limb. This distinction is based both on differences in performances associated with the two tasks and the recruitment of partially distinct brain regions. Beyond this physiological distinction, this result suggests that phantom limb movements are similar to executed movements and differ from imagined movements. This raises important questions about the very nature of the processes underlying the awareness of a movement as being executed or imagined. The functional alterations in the motor cortex of amputees are somewhat similar to the pathophysiological mechanisms of maladaptative plasticity. Amputation could be a great model for its study. Indeed, the clinical and neuroimaging examinations conducted during this thesis led to a relatively coherent model of the functional reorganizations in the motor cortex after a limb-amputation and their relationships with behavioral variables. In particular, the relationship between functional reorganizations in the motor cortex and the quality of residual motor control in the phantom limb helps to understand the mechanisms underlying some analgesic therapies, such as the “visuomotor therapy”