N EURAL M ECHANISMS FOR E XPERTISE IN

Abstract

The present article is designed to review literature providing evidence of the neural mechanisms mediating the individual expertise both in mental and motor imagery. Providing physiological recordings that correlate to the imagery experience is now possible, and may therefore be considered an objective approach for imagery analysis. In this paper, we review three main classes of research that highlight the crucial role of individual expertise: first evidence that the neural networks mediating mental and motor imagery are not totally overlapping and selectively depend upon the individual level of expertise; second evidence that auditory imagery also activate distinct brain regions according to expertise; and finally evidence that the brain mechanisms controlling mental rotation are quite different in individuals with good versus poor visuospatial abilities.