406P Effects of telerehabilitation-based motor imagery training on motor imagery ability and motor function in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Motor imagery (MI) ability has been studied extensively in healthy children and more recently in developmental coordination problems and cerebral palsy. It is a representation of the action of planning, execution and modulation of movement in the absence of any evident motor output. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of telerehabilitation-based motor imagery (Tele-MI) training on MI ability and motor function in children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This prospective, randomized controlled study included 23 children with DMD and 12 healthy children aged 7-15 years. The children with DMD were randomized into two; considering the age, corticosteroid use and the functional status as study (n=12) and control (n=11) groups. The study group received Tele-MI training and telerehabilitation-based physical therapy program (Tele-PTP) while the control group received only Tele-PTP for 8 weeks. MI ability was assessed by the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire-10 (KVIQ-10) and motor function by Motor Function Measure (MFM) before and after the training. DMD and healthy subjects were similar in terms of demographics (p>0.05). KVIQ-10 scores of the DMD population (visual: 17.30±4.69, kinestehic: 13.04±4.01, total: 30.35±7.46) were significantly lower than the healthy peers (visual: 20.25±3.01, kinesthetic: 18.08±4.68, total: 38.33±5.87; p=0.003). In the within group analysis, significant improvements were determined in the KVIQ-10 total score (p=0.003) and MFM scores (p=0.026) only in the study group (p<0.05). Between groups, KVIQ-10 total score was improved in study group after the intervention (p=0.014). This study showed that MI training improved MI ability and motor function in children with DMD. Although functional improvements were achieved by Tele-MI training, it was not superior to Tele-PTP. Development and evolution of MI ability in pediatric neuromuscular diseases requires further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]