Imagination and observation of writing – an efMRI study

Introduction: Writing represents a unique semiautomated and overlearned motor task. Recent studies in concert pianists have shown that observation of movements involve a widespread network of motor association areas (Haslinger et al., 2004, J Cogn Neurosci, in press). Observation and imagination is used in neurological rehabilitation and in training to increase performance and could be implemented in conditions affecting writing. The underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated yet. Here, we hypothesized that writing observation would activate a similar network than in highly trained musicians during an analog…