Dissociable neurocognitive dynamics characterize Kinesthetic and Visual Motor Imagery of acomplex motor sequence

Motor Imagery (MI) relies on internal forward models to simulate sensory consequences without overtexecution. While single target movements have been extensively studied in MI research, neuraldynamics underpinning complex, multi-stage motor sequences remain under-investigated. This studyleverages the consolidated motor skills of elite basketball athletes to characterize the spatiotemporalevolution of neural activity during Kinesthetic (KMI) and Visual (VMI) imagery of a sport-related motorsequence, dissecting the interplay between top-down neurocognitive functions and sensorimotorsimulation.Twenty elite junior basketball players (>3 years high-level competitive experience) participated. High-density EEG (64ch, 512Hz) was recorded during randomized 8-9s trials of either KMI (proprioceptivefocus) or VMI (3rd-person visualization) of the free throw. Event-RelatedDesynchronization/Synchronization (ERD/ERS) maps were calculated relative to a resting baseline inTheta (4-7Hz), Alpha (8-13Hz), and Beta (15-30Hz) bands to analyze the temporal progression of corticalactivity in 1-second epochs of interest.Time-resolved spectral analysis revealed distinct profiles reflecting different neurocognitive strategies. Inthe Theta band, a clear topological dissociation emerged. KMI showed stable, high-amplitude ERS overfrontal and prefrontal regions (0-6s) coupled with robust left centro-parietal ERD, suggesting continuoustop-down executive regulation for sensorimotor simulation. Conversely, VMI exhibited a dynamicanterior-to-posterior shift: early frontal ERS migrated towards centro-parietal and occipital regions (3-7s), indicating a transition from executive planning to visuospatial maintenance. In the Alpha band,modality-specific gating was observed. VMI displayed a functional trade-off: focal occipital ERD (visual processing) occurred concurrently with marked central ERS, suggesting active suppression of thesensorimotor cortex to privilege visual imagery. In contrast, KMI showed widespread initial ERS followedby focal left parietal ERD, reflecting active engagement of proprioceptive internal models. Finally, bothconditions showed frontoparietal Beta ERD, with KMI displaying a more confined ERD in contralateralmotor areas compared to the diffused VMI pattern.Present findings indicate that VMI and KMI recruit distinct neurocognitive networks with uniquetemporal signatures. Crucially, KMI appears to be an effortful, top-down process where executivefunctions (frontal Theta) actively drive sensorimotor activation, whereas VMI relies on a transition toposterior visuospatial maintenance while actively suppressing motor output (central Alpha ERS). Thus,"thinking about moving" and "watching oneself move" engage internal models through fundamentallydifferent control loops, influencing how mental training should be tailored for motor learning andrehabilitation.