Distinguishing Motor Imagery from Motor Movement Using Phase Locking Value and Eigenvector Centrality

Motor imagery and motor movement are two distinct tasks with underlying similar neurological mechanisms. We sought to identify the electroencephalographic (EEG) differences between real and imaginary hand movements. Phase Locking Value (PLV) was employed to estimate brain's connectivity and create a network that was then studied on the basis of brain region centrality. We observed that the frontal/prefrontal cortex exhibits higher centrality in the θ band during motor movement than motor imagery tasks. Additionally, difference between left and right hand tasks was observed in the μ band at the somatosensory association cortex post-tasks' completion. These preliminary results indicate that, by proper EEG analysis, it may be possible to distinguish between motor imagery and motor movement.