Cargando…

The Empowering Effect of Embodied Awareness Practice on Body Structural Map and Sensorimotor Activity: The Case of Feldenkrais Method

While outcomes of embodied awareness practices in terms of improved posture and flexibility, movement efficiency, and well-being are often reported, systematic investigations of such training effects and of the actual nature, extent, and neurofunctional correlates of learning mechanisms thought to l...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Crivelli, Davide, Di Ruocco, Massimilla, Balena, Alessandra, Balconi, Michela
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8699347/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34942901
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11121599
_version_ 1784620492676661248
author Crivelli, Davide
Di Ruocco, Massimilla
Balena, Alessandra
Balconi, Michela
author_facet Crivelli, Davide
Di Ruocco, Massimilla
Balena, Alessandra
Balconi, Michela
author_sort Crivelli, Davide
collection PubMed
description While outcomes of embodied awareness practices in terms of improved posture and flexibility, movement efficiency, and well-being are often reported, systematic investigations of such training effects and of the actual nature, extent, and neurofunctional correlates of learning mechanisms thought to lie at the core of such practices are very limited. The present study focused on the Feldenkrais method (FM), one of the most established embodied awareness practices, and aimed at investigating the neurofunctional outcomes of the somatic learning process at the core of the method by testing the modulations induced by a standardized FM protocol on the complexity of practicers’ body structural map and on the activity of their sensorimotor network during different movement-related tasks (i.e., gestures observation, execution, and imagery). Twenty-five participants were randomly divided into an experimental group—which completed a 28-session FM protocol based on guided group practice—and a control group, and underwent pre-/post-training psychometric and electrophysiological assessment. Data analysis highlighted, at the end of the FM protocol, a significant increase of EEG markers of cortical activation (task-related mu desynchronization) in precentral regions during action observation and in central regions during action execution and imagery. Also, posterior regions of the sensorimotor network showed systematic activation during all the action-related tasks.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-8699347
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2021
publisher MDPI
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-86993472021-12-24 The Empowering Effect of Embodied Awareness Practice on Body Structural Map and Sensorimotor Activity: The Case of Feldenkrais Method Crivelli, Davide Di Ruocco, Massimilla Balena, Alessandra Balconi, Michela Brain Sci Article While outcomes of embodied awareness practices in terms of improved posture and flexibility, movement efficiency, and well-being are often reported, systematic investigations of such training effects and of the actual nature, extent, and neurofunctional correlates of learning mechanisms thought to lie at the core of such practices are very limited. The present study focused on the Feldenkrais method (FM), one of the most established embodied awareness practices, and aimed at investigating the neurofunctional outcomes of the somatic learning process at the core of the method by testing the modulations induced by a standardized FM protocol on the complexity of practicers’ body structural map and on the activity of their sensorimotor network during different movement-related tasks (i.e., gestures observation, execution, and imagery). Twenty-five participants were randomly divided into an experimental group—which completed a 28-session FM protocol based on guided group practice—and a control group, and underwent pre-/post-training psychometric and electrophysiological assessment. Data analysis highlighted, at the end of the FM protocol, a significant increase of EEG markers of cortical activation (task-related mu desynchronization) in precentral regions during action observation and in central regions during action execution and imagery. Also, posterior regions of the sensorimotor network showed systematic activation during all the action-related tasks. MDPI 2021-12-01 /pmc/articles/PMC8699347/ /pubmed/34942901 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11121599 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Crivelli, Davide
Di Ruocco, Massimilla
Balena, Alessandra
Balconi, Michela
The Empowering Effect of Embodied Awareness Practice on Body Structural Map and Sensorimotor Activity: The Case of Feldenkrais Method
title The Empowering Effect of Embodied Awareness Practice on Body Structural Map and Sensorimotor Activity: The Case of Feldenkrais Method
title_full The Empowering Effect of Embodied Awareness Practice on Body Structural Map and Sensorimotor Activity: The Case of Feldenkrais Method
title_fullStr The Empowering Effect of Embodied Awareness Practice on Body Structural Map and Sensorimotor Activity: The Case of Feldenkrais Method
title_full_unstemmed The Empowering Effect of Embodied Awareness Practice on Body Structural Map and Sensorimotor Activity: The Case of Feldenkrais Method
title_short The Empowering Effect of Embodied Awareness Practice on Body Structural Map and Sensorimotor Activity: The Case of Feldenkrais Method
title_sort empowering effect of embodied awareness practice on body structural map and sensorimotor activity: the case of feldenkrais method
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8699347/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34942901
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11121599
work_keys_str_mv AT crivellidavide theempoweringeffectofembodiedawarenesspracticeonbodystructuralmapandsensorimotoractivitythecaseoffeldenkraismethod
AT diruoccomassimilla theempoweringeffectofembodiedawarenesspracticeonbodystructuralmapandsensorimotoractivitythecaseoffeldenkraismethod
AT balenaalessandra theempoweringeffectofembodiedawarenesspracticeonbodystructuralmapandsensorimotoractivitythecaseoffeldenkraismethod
AT balconimichela theempoweringeffectofembodiedawarenesspracticeonbodystructuralmapandsensorimotoractivitythecaseoffeldenkraismethod
AT crivellidavide empoweringeffectofembodiedawarenesspracticeonbodystructuralmapandsensorimotoractivitythecaseoffeldenkraismethod
AT diruoccomassimilla empoweringeffectofembodiedawarenesspracticeonbodystructuralmapandsensorimotoractivitythecaseoffeldenkraismethod
AT balenaalessandra empoweringeffectofembodiedawarenesspracticeonbodystructuralmapandsensorimotoractivitythecaseoffeldenkraismethod
AT balconimichela empoweringeffectofembodiedawarenesspracticeonbodystructuralmapandsensorimotoractivitythecaseoffeldenkraismethod