Abstract Mental Imagery can be defined both as a reproduction of cognitive con- tents of the mind not actually present to sensorial perception, and as the re-elaboration and interpretation of the original perceived data. Motor and athletic rehabilitation and recovery after injuries or traumas, espe- cially in sports, but more generally in physiotherapeutic practice, have shown to be enhanced by mental imagery processes. Mental imagery has been assumed to be essential for the acquisition of motor skills, but to also be relevant in the involutive phases of adult co- gnition. In fact, empirical studies indicate that different components of imagery are selectively affected by aging. This review discusses the neuropsychological bases of mental imagery, fo- cusing on its possible applications to the rehabilitation of deficits from a va- riety of different causes, including mental deterioration in the elderly. Simulation techniques, and how they might assist in the accurate assessment of mental imagery skills in order to design optimal learning and/or training interventions, or rehabilitation of motor gestures, are also presented. Keywords: Mental Imagery; Motor skills; Rehabilitation; Simulation. Received: January 15, 2014; Accepted: March 25, 2014 © 2014 Associazione Oasi Maria SS. - IRCCS 1 Department of Education, University of Catania, via Biblioteca 4, Catania 95124, E-mail: s.dinuovo@unict.it 2 Department of Cognitive Science, Education and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, E-mail: vdelacruz@unime.it 3 Doctoral course of Neurosciences, University of Catania, E-mail: danielaconti@unict.it 4 Unit of Psychology, IRCSS Oasi Troina, E-mail: fbuono@oasi.en.it 5 School of Computing and Mathematics, University of Plymouth & Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kore University, Enna, E-mail: alessandro.dinuovo@plymouth.ac.uk 89 Life Span and Disability XVII, 1 (2014), 89-118 Mental Imagery: rehabilitation through simulation Santo Di Nuovo 1 , Vivian De La Cruz 2 , Daniela Conti 3 , Serafino Buono 4 & Alessandro Di Nuovo 5