Table 1.
Main Study Characteristics.
| Study | MI Ability Measurement | N° Participants | Population Type | Interventions | Duration of MP Session (minutes) × Total Amount of Sessions × Intervention Duration (days) | Primary Outcome Measures | Intervention Group Compared to Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham 2018 | MIQ-RS, KVIQ-20 VMIQ-2 | 20 | Parkinson’s disease | MP vs control | 120 min × 10 × 14 days | TUGT, 6-min walk test, FGS, 30 sec chair stand, 360° turn test and PRT | Improved |
| Asa 2014 | No | 36 | Healthy | MP only vs PP only vs control | 25 min × 1 × 1 days | Speed and accuracy of task performance | No difference |
| Bathalon 2005 | No | 44 | Healthy | MI and KG vs KG alone vs control | n/a × n/a × 14 days | OSCE | Improved |
| Bovend'Eerdt 2008 | IST | 11 | Arm spasticity | PP vs MP and PP vs control | 1.5 min × 32 × 56 days | Resistance to passive movement | No difference |
| Braun 2011 | VMIQ-2 | 47 | Parkinson’s disease | PP vs MP and PP vs control | 20 min × 6 × 42 days | Walking performance using visual analogue scale | No difference |
| Braun 2012 | No | 36 | Stroke patients | PP vs MP and PP vs control | n/a x 10 × 42 days | Numeric rating scales | No difference |
| Callow 2017 | VMIQ-2 | 56 | Healthy | IVI vs IVI and KIN vs control | 2 min × 1 × 1 days | Time | IVI and KIN improved |
| Cho 2013 | No | 28 | Stroke patients | MP vs control | 15 min × 18 × 42 days | FRT, TUGT, 10- m walk test and FMA | Improved |
| Coker 2015 | VMIQ-2 | 24 | Healthy | VI vs KIN vs control | 60 min (MP+PP) × 1 × 1 day | Hip movements recorded on motion capture system | No difference |
| Conlin 2016 | MIQ-R | 12 | Healthy | MP vs control | n/a × 1 × 1 days | TSE and GE of mastoidectomy | No difference |
| Cunha 2017 | MIQ-RS | 15 | Transtibial amputees | MP vs control | 40 min × 12 × 28 days | Ground reaction forces | Improved |
| Dilek 2018 | No | 36 | Distal radius fracture | MP vs control | 100 min × 1680 × 56 days | Pain, wrist and forearm active ROM, grip strength, DASH questionnaire and MHQ | Improved |
| Eldred-Evans 2013 | No | 64 | Healthy | VRS vs standard training and MP vs VRS training and MP vs control | 30 min × 3 × 6 days | Time, precision, accuracy and overall performance on BT and VRS | MP groups improved |
| Frenkel 2014 | No | 18 | Healthy | MP vs control | 15 min × 315 × 21 days | ROM | Improved |
| Geoffrion 2012 | No | 79 | Healthy | MP vs control | n/a × 1 × 1 days | GRS | No difference |
| Gomes 2014 | No | 60 | Healthy | MP vs PP vs MP and then PP vs PP and then MP vs control | .1 min × 24 × 1 days | Time | PP, MP and PP and PP and MP improved |
| Guillot 2009 | Mental chronometry | 14 | Burn patients | MP vs control | n/a × 10 × 14 days | Goniometric data | Improved |
| Hemayattalab 2009 | No | 40 | Intellectually disabled patients | MP vs PP vs MP and then PP vs PP and then MP vs control | 30 min × 24 × 24 days | Free throw test | PP improved most |
| Hidalgo-Perez 2015 | No | 40 | Healthy | MCTE and MI vs control | 15 min × 20 × 30 days | Craniocervical neuromotor control, joint position error and fatigue after effort | Improved |
| Hosseini 2012 | MMSE, VMIQ and VVIQ | 30 | Healthy | OT and MP vs control | 15 min × 15 × 35 days | TUGT | Improved |
| Hoyek 2014 | MIQ-R | 16 | Shoulder impingement | MP and PP vs control | 15 min × 9 × 21 days | Shoulder function, ROM and pain | Improved |
| Ietswaart 2011 | Task chronometry | 121 | Stroke patients | MP and standard rehabilitation vs standard rehabilitation and non-motor mental rehearsal vs control | 39 min × 20 × 28 days | ARAT | No difference |
| Immenroth 2007 | No | 98 | Healthy | MP and PP vs PP only vs control | 60 min × 2 × 2 days | OSATS | No difference |
| Jungmann 2011 | Mental chronometry | 40 | Healthy | MP and VR training vs control | 3 min × 4 × 4 days | Time, tip trajectory and instrument collision | No difference |
| Kim 2013 | VMIQ-2 | 30 | Stroke patients | Standard therapy and AO vs standard therapy and MP vs control | 20 min × 20 × 28 days | TUGT, FRT, WAQ and FAC | Improvement in AO group |
| Kim 2018 | VMIQ | 16 | Stroke patients | CMIT and MP vs control | 10 min × 10 × 14 days | Motor evoked potential amplitude, 3-D motion analysis, JT test and motor activity log | No difference |
| Komesu 2009 | No | 68 | Healthy | MP vs control | 20 min × 1 × 1 day | GSOP | No difference |
| Lebon 2011 | No | 12 | Torn ACL patients | Standard physiotherapy and MP vs control | 15 min × 180 × 31 days | Muscle activation | Improved |
| Lim 2016 | No | 20 | Healthy | MP and PP vs and control | 60 min × 1 × 1 day | Technical achievement | No difference |
| Liu 2004 | No | 46 | Stroke patients | MP and standard rehabilitation vs control | 60 min × 15 × 21 days | Performance on 15 tasks, FMA and CTT | No difference |
| Liu 2009 | No | 34 | Stroke patients | MP and conventional therapy vs control | 60 min × 15 × 21 days | Performance on 15 tasks | No difference |
| Liu 2009 | No | 35 | Post-stroke patients | MP and conventional therapy vs control | 60 min × 15 × 21 days | Evaluation of skills | No difference |
| Losana-Ferrer 2018 | MIQ | 60 | Healthy | MP vs AO vs control | 6 min × n/a × 10 days | Hand grip strength, EMG and IM oxygenation | Improved (not on IM oxygenation) |
| Louridas 2015 | MIQ and MIQ-R | 20 | Healthy | PP and MP vs control | n/a × n/a × 7 days | OSATS and bariatric OSATS | No difference |
| Malouin 2009 | KVIQ | 12 | Stroke patients | MP and PP vs cognitive training and PP vs control | n/a × 12 × 28 days | Limb loading | Improved |
| Maring 1990 | No | 26 | Healthy | MP and PP vs control | n/a x 1 x 1 days | Upper limb muscle activity | Improved |
| Mendoza 1978 | No | 32 | Healthy | MP only vs MP with simulated movement vs PP only vs control | 15 min × 6 × 6 days | Success in dart throwing | PP improved most |
| Millard 2001 | No | 60 | Healthy | MP vs PP vs MP and PP vs control | 30 min × 3 × 3 days | Wet exit attempts scored | MP and PP improved most |
| Mulla 2012 | No | 41 | Healthy | BT vs BT and additional practice vs VRS training vs MP vs control | 15 min × 7 × 7 days | Assessed on BT and VRS on time, precision, accuracy and performance | MP performed worst apart from control |
| Nicholson 2018 | KVIQ | 30 | Healthy | MP only vs PP only vs control | 25 min × 1 × 1 day | Gait speed, gait variability using GAITRite and timed up and go | No difference |
| Nilsen 2012 | VMIQ-2 | 19 | Stroke patients | PP and internal MP vs PP and external MP vs control | 18 min × 12 × 42 days | FM and JT test | Improved |
| Oostra 2015 | MIQ-RS | 44 | Stroke patients | Standard rehabilitation and MP vs control | 30 min × 30 × 42 days | 10-m walk test and FM | No difference |
| Page 2005 | No | 11 | Stroke patients | PP and MP vs PP only vs control | 30 min x 12 × 42 days | Motor activity log and ARAT | Improved |
| Page 2007 | No | 32 | Stroke patients | MP and standard rehabilitation vs control | 30 min × 12 × 42 days | ARAT and FM | Improved |
| Page 2009 | No | 10 | Stroke patients | mCIT and MP vs control | 30 min × 30 × 70 days | ARAT and FM | Improved |
| Page, S. 2011 | No | 29 | Stroke patients | MP vs MP vs MP (different lengths) vs control | 40 min × 30 × 70 days | FM and ARAT | Improved |
| Park 2015 | VMIQ | 30 | Stroke patients | MP and standard rehabilitation vs control | 10 min x 20 × 28 days | LBT and SCT | Improved |
| Sanders 2004 | No | 65 | Healthy | 2 sessions PP and 1 MP vs 1 PP and 2 MP vs control | 30 min × 3 × 21 days | GRS | No difference |
| Sanders 2008 | Revised Minnesota test | 64 | Healthy | MP vs control | 30 min × 2 × 24 days | Surgical behaviour | Improved |
| Santiago 2015 | MIQ-R | 20 | Parkinson’s disease | MP and standard therapy vs control | n/a × 1 × 1 day | Gait analysis | No difference |
| Schuster 2012 | KVIQ | 39 | Stroke patients | MP added to physio vs MP embedded into physio vs control | 45 min × 6 × 14 days | Time taken to perform skill | No difference |
| Seebacher 2017 | No | 112 | MS patients | Music and MI vs metronome MI vs control | 17 min × 24 × 28 days | Walking speed | Improved |
| Sharp 2014 | No | 18 | Spinal cord injury patients | MP with overground training vs control | 30 min × 24 × 56 days | Gait velocity | No difference |
| Sidaway 2005 | No | 24 | Healthy | MP vs PP vs control | 15 min × 12 × 28 days | Isometric torque and percentage improvement | No difference |
| Stenekes 2009 | VMIQ | 28 | Post flexor tendon repair | MP and conventional therapy vs control | .6 min × 336 × 42 days | Preparation time of finger flexion | Improved |
| Timmermans 2013 | VMIQ | 42 | Stroke patients | Standard therapy and MP vs control | 10 min × 126 × 42 days | FM, FAT, WMFT and accelerometry | No difference and improved on FAT |
| Vergeer 2006 | VVIQ | 47 | Healthy | MI vs SI vs control | 30 min × 11 × 28 days | Flexibility and comfort | Improved in comfort and no difference in flexibility |
| Wilson 2002 | No | 54 | Motor coordination problems | MI vs PP vs control | 60 min × 5 × 35 days | MABC | PP improved most |
| Wilson 2016 | No | 36 | Motor coordination problems | MI vs PP | 60 min × 5 × 35 days | MABC | No difference |