<p>Despite the fact that controlling a neural interface based on kinesthetic motor imagery requires the user to do no more than mentally imagine the action (and not to perform it), muscle EMG activity may increase during imagery. The work reported here tested the hypothesis that this activity depends on the type of movement imagined. Lower limb muscle EMG activity was recorded in 42 subjects while they controlled a neural interface using imagery of dorsiflexion of the foot or walking on the spot, with and without additional activation of a mechanical trainer (MT) in response to successful motor imagery. The results showed: 1) imagery of dorsiflexion of the feet was associated with predominant activation of the tibialis anterior muscle, which is responsible for execution of the actual movement; 2) imagery of walking on the spot did not produce such selective activation of the tibialis anterior muscle, i.e., its activity was lower; 3) correlations between the EMG activity of the leg muscles differed depending on the type of movement imagery, i.e., they were stronger and more numerous for imagery of walking on the spot with addition of the MT; 4) when the MT was added, imagery of dorsiflexion of the foot was subjectively rated as more difficult than walking on the spot. Thus, this work provided the first demonstration that the pattern of muscle EMG activity during kinesthetic imagery is specific to the type of movement (walking on the spot or dorsiflexion of the foot), which points to differences in descending corticospinal signals.</p>