[Mental stimulation strategy affects postural control].

Recent studies have proposed that the mental rotation of body parts can be accomplished by calling upon visual and somatomotor resources which, at a functional level, would correspond to different routes toward a single solution [1]. In this study, we investigated the effect of somato-motor and visual strategies upon the mental simulation of a task that involved postural adjustments. Subjects were asked to stand up on a vertical force platform and instructed either to 1) rest during 20 s (ST), 2) count mentally from 1 to 15 (CO), 3) imagine themselves executing a bilateral plantar flexion 15 times (IM), and 4) execute the same movement 15 times (EX).