The suppression of the μ rhythm during the creation of imagery representation of movement

The aim of this study was to answer the following question: are there differences between the attenuation of mu rhythms, recorded with EEG in the parietal area during observation of movement and the creation of its imaginative representation? In addition, we checked the extent to which the mu rhythm suppression depends on whether the observed and the imagined movement is performed by a human or is artificial. As a result of the experiment a significant difference in mu rhythm suppression between the conditions "Observation," "Imagery," and "White noise" was recorded. It did not matter whether the motion was carried out by a human being or performed by a machine. The results are discussed in the light of findings which relate to the mirror neuron system. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.