Motor imagery is defined as a dynamic state during which a subject mentally simulates a given action without overt movements. Our aim was to use near-infrared spectroscopy to investigate differences in cerebral hemodynamic during motor imagery of self-feeding with chopsticks using the dominant or non-dominant hand.

Twenty healthy right-handed people participated in this study. The motor imagery task involved eating sliced cucumber pickles using chopsticks with the dominant (right) or non-dominant (left) hand. Activation of regions of interest (pre-supplementary motor area, supplementary motor area, pre-motor area, pre-frontal cortex, and sensorimotor cortex was assessed.

Motor imagery vividness of the dominant hand tended to be significantly higher than that of the non-dominant hand. The time of peak oxygenated hemoglobin was significantly earlier in the right pre-frontal cortex than in the supplementary motor area and left pre-motor area. Hemodynamic correlations were detected in more regions of interest during dominant-hand motor imagery than during non-dominant-hand motor imagery.

Hemodynamic might be affected by differences in motor imagery vividness caused by variations in motor manipulation.