Motor imagery ability of children with duchenne muscular dystrophy: Reliability and validity of kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire-10, and its association with cognitive status

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate validity and reliability of the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire-10 (KVIQ-10) in children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), to compare the motor imagery (MI) ability with age-matched controls, and to examine the relationship between MI ability and cognitive status.

Methods: The research involved 38 children who were diagnosed with DMD, as well as 20 healthy controls aged between 7 and 18 years. The KVIQ-10 was assessed for its test-retest reliability, internal consistency, construct and concurrent validity. The Motor Imagery Questionnaire for Children (MIQ-C) was selected as the gold standard test for concurrent validity. Cognitive function was assessed using the Modified Mini Mental Test (MMMT) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

Results: KVIQ-10 showed excellent test-retest reliability (ICC>0.90) and high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha>0.70). A moderate-to-strong association was found between KVIQ-10 and MIQ-C subscales (p < 0.001). KVIQ-10 and MIQ-C subscores were statistically lower in the DMD group (p ≤ 0.05). A correlation was found between MoCA and KVIQ-10 in children with DMD (p ≤ 0.05).

Conclusions: The KVIQ-10 is a reliable and valid measure to assess the MI ability of children with DMD whose imagery ability was determined to be impaired.

Clinical trial registration number and url: NCT05559710 (https://classic.

Clinicaltrials: gov/ct2/show/NCT05559710?term=NCT05559710&draw=2&rank=1).

Keywords: Cognition; Duchenne muscular dystrophy; Motor imagery; Reliability; Validity.