Abnormalities of motor imagery associated with somatic passivity phenomena in schizophrenia

Abstract

Some patients with schizophrenia report that their limbs are under the control of an alien force (motor passivity). This is hypothesised to be due to the dysfunction of an internal self-monitoring system that normally permits distinctions between internally generated and external influences on intentional behaviour. Motor imagery is the mental simulation of specific motor actions and it is based upon the internal representation of intended but unexecuted motor actions. Therefore, the generation of motor imagery should be impaired in schizophrenia characterised by passivity phenomena. The generation of motor imagery was compared using the visually guided pointing task (VGPT) and the Florida p..