The Effect of Neurofeedback Training on Executive Control Network of Attention and Dart-Throwing Performance in Individuals with Trait Anxiety.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of neurofeedback training on the executive control network of attention and dart-throwing skill performance in individuals with trait anxiety. Twenty girls (24.65 [Formula: see text] 2.83 years) participated in this study. They were divided into neurofeedback and control training groups. All participants practiced 14 sessions. The neurofeedback group performed neurofeedback training (increasing SMR wave, decreasing theta, and increasing alpha) and dart-throwing exercise, and the control group only completed the dart-throwing exercise. The post-test, including Attentional Networks Test (ANT) and dart-throwing, was conducted 48 h after the last training session. The results revealed a significant difference in the performance of the executive control network and dart-throwing skill between the neurofeedback and the control training group. In general, these findings support the effect of neurofeedback training on the neural mechanisms of the executive control network of attention, and performance in dart-throwing skill improves by improving attentional performance processes.

Assessment of motor skill accuracy and coordination variability after application of local and remote experimental pain.

Motor learning is a relatively permanent change in motor performance. Also, one of the factors that can affect movement acquisition and movement patterns is pain and injury. The present study aims to investigate the effect of the induced local and remote pain during dart-throwing skill acquisition by examining motor skill accuracy and coordination variability. Three groups of 30 participants with a mean age of 18-25 were randomly assigned to local and remote pain or control groups. Capsaicin gel was applied to the pain groups for measuring the severity of pain using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The results revealed that pain had no impact on dart-throwing skill acquisition, and there was no significant difference (p = 0.732) among the three groups at three stages of retention test. The results also showed that there was a significant difference among the three groups in terms of variability in shoulder-elbow (p = 0.025) and elbow-wrist joints (p = 0.000) in the deceleration and dart-throwing phases. The Central Nervous System seems to make adjustments when the task is associated with pain during the acquisition phase. Also, the groups with or without pain have notably various strategies, so differently, to perceive motor skills.

Comparison of Visual Search Behavior and Decision-making Accuracy in Expert and Novice Fencing Referees.

SIGNIFICANCE: Perceptual-cognitive skills are the capacity of athletes to identify task-relevant information in the environment and integrate information with the knowledge available for decision making or controlling motor responses. Gaze behavior is one performance-related perceptual skill and a key factor affecting expertise affecting referee performance. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare visual search behavior and decision-making accuracy of expert and novice fencing referees. METHOD: Twenty-eight referees were divided into expert (n = 14) and novice (n = 14) groups. Participants were fitted with mobile eye trackers and participated in tests that consisted of five blocks of 10 video clips. Videos are provided annually by the World Fencing Federation for referee testing. RESULTS: The results showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the accuracy of decision making, number, duration, and location of fixations. Expert referees had higher decision-making accuracy compared with novice referees. Expert referees had fewer fixations than did novice referees. Fixations of expert referees were longer than those of novice referees, and the locations of fixations of expert and novice referees were different. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that the difference in visual search behavior of expert and novice referees was one of the factors contributing to better decision making of expert referees.

Visual deprivation is met with active changes in ground reaction forces to minimize worsening balance and stability during walking.

Previous studies suggest that visual information is essential for balance and stability of locomotion. We investigated whether visual deprivation is met with active reactions tending to minimize worsening balance and stability during walking in humans. We evaluated effects of vision on kinetic characteristics of walking on a treadmill-ground reaction forces (GRFs) and shifts in the center of mass (COM). Young adults (n = 10) walked on a treadmill at a comfortable speed. We measured three orthogonal components of GRFs and COM shifts during no-vision (NV) and full-vision (FV) conditions. We also computed the dynamic balance index (DN)-the perpendicular distance from the projection of center of mass (pCOM) to the inter-foot line (IFL) normalized to half of the foot length. Locally weighted regression smoothing with alpha-adjusted serial T tests was used to compare GRFs and DN between two conditions during the entire stance phase. Results showed significant differences in GRFs between FV and NV conditions in vertical and ML directions. Variability of peak forces of all three components of GRF increased in NV condition. We also observed significant increase in DN for NV condition in eight out of ten subjects. The pCOM was kept within BOS during walking, in both conditions, suggesting that body stability was actively controlled by adjusting three components of GRFs during NV walking to minimize stability loss and preserve balance.

Investigating the EEG Profile of Elite and Non-Elite Players in the Basketball Free Throw Task.

This study aimed to investigate the electroencephalographic profile of elite and non-elite basketball players seconds before and during the basketball free throw. Sixteen male subjects in the elite group (national team/premier league players with an average age of 22.06 ± 1.56) and 16 male non-elite subjects (university players with an average age of 22.37 ± 1.45) voluntarily participated in this research. Electroencephalographic data were measured from 28 cortical areas using a mobile wireless device. ANOVA with repeated measures were also performed to investigate the characteristics of theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. The findings showed the higher cortical activity of the elite group. Different frequency bands exhibited similar asymmetry patterns, suggesting the higher activity of the left hemisphere in most of the homologous sites. Moreover, the activity of frequency bands in the left hemisphere rose by approaching the moment of throw. Furthermore, the activity of a limited number of right hemisphere sites increased by getting closer to the moment of action. In general, hemispheric asymmetry in favor of the left hemisphere has a cortical pattern, reflecting high-performance activities. In addition, the characteristics of different frequency bands of hemispheres are directed toward increasing cognitive processing, attention focusing, and inhibiting irrelevant information.

The Effect of Mental and Muscular Fatigue on the Accuracy and Kinematics of Dart Throwing.

In this study, we analyzed the effect of mental and muscular fatigue on the accuracy and kinematics of dart throwing. For this purpose, 28 young adults (19 females and 9 males) aged 25-35 years, without any regular experience in dart throwing, participated in this study. We evaluated their dart throwing skills in mental fatigue, muscular fatigue, and non-fatigue conditions. To induce mental fatigue, we used the Stroop task for 70 minutes and a simulated dart throwing exercise with an elastic band. In all three conditions, we collected accuracy data, based on the score of the dart on the board and the kinematic properties with a motion capture device. For analyzing the data and testing the research hypotheses, we employed ANOVA analyses with repeated measures after examining the normality of data distributions using skewness and kurtosis. We observed a significant decrease in the accuracy of dart throwing following mental fatigue (p = 0.027) and muscular fatigue (p = 0.001) compared to non-fatigue and following muscular fatigue compared to mental fatigue (p = 0.001). In the kinematic results, we observed a significant difference in the mean velocity of the elbow between different experimental conditions (p = 0.001). This variable decreased due to muscular fatigue, compared to the other two conditions. On the other hand, there was no significant difference among the three experimental conditions for the variables of elbow range of motion, shoulder range of motion, and mean velocity of the shoulder joint. These findings affirm mental and muscular fatigue effects on dart throwing and provide further detail regarding the specific aspects of these effects on dart throwing skills or other fine motor activities.

The Effect of Modeling Methods on Mirror Neuron Activity and a Motor Skill Acquisition and Retention.

Introduction: Mirror neurons have been suggested as a potential neural mechanism of observational learning. This study aims to investigate the effect of self-modeling, skilled model, and learning model on mu rhythm suppression and golf putting acquisition and retention. Methods: The study was conducted on 45 male volunteer students (aged 19.4±0.37 years) in three experimental groups, self-modeling, skilled, and learning models with six sessions of physical and observational training in three periods of pre-test, acquisition, and retention. In the pre-test, after the initial familiarity with the skill, participants performed 10 golf putting actions while scores were recorded. Then, electrical brain waves in C3, C4, and Cz regions were recorded during the observation of 10 golf putting actions by their group-related models. The acquisition period consisted of golf putting training during six sessions, each consisting of six blocks of 10 trials. Before each training block, participants observed golf putting related to their group 10 times in the form of a video. Acquisition and delayed retention tests were also performed by recording scores of 10 golf putting actions, as well as recording electrical brain waves while observing the skill performed by the related model. Results: Mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the mu rhythm suppression in the pre-test was more in the self-modeling group compared to the skilled model and learning model groups, but this suppression was not significantly different in all three groups in the acquisition and retention tests. In putting task variables, all three groups that had no significant difference in the pre-test period made considerable progress in learning the desired skill from the pre-test to the acquisition test, and this progress was somewhat stable until the retention test. Also, both in the acquisition and retention periods, the self-modeling group showed better performance than the other two groups; however, no significant difference was observed between these groups. Conclusion: These results suggest that the model-observer similarity is a crucial factor in modeling interventions and can affect the rate of mu rhythm suppression.

Effect of Knee Orthosis and Kinesio Taping on Clinical and Neuromuscular Outcomes in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objectives: Impaired proprioception and muscle weakness may not only be a consequence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) but also part of its pathogenesis. Thus, the enhancement of quadriceps strength and proprioceptive accuracy can play a pivotal role in the management of knee OA. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Kinesio tape and flexible knee orthosis in terms of clinical and neuromuscular outcomes in patients with knee OA. Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 56 patients with knee OA, randomly allocated to two groups: knee orthosis or Kinesio tape. The knee orthosis group wore a neoprene knee support for 4 weeks. For participants in the Kinesio tape group, tape was applied once a week, for 4 weeks. The primary outcomes were pain intensity and physical function evaluated through the visual analog scale and the Western Ontario and McMaster OA index. The secondary outcomes were concentric and isometric quadriceps strength, Joint Position Sense (JPS), Threshold to Detect Passive Motion (TTDPM), and force sense (FS), all measured by isokinetic dynamometry. Results: All outcome measures were significantly improved in the orthosis group. The Kinesio tape group also demonstrated significant changes in all outcome measures except three proprioception components namely JPS (70° target), FS, and TTDPM. At the end of the fourth week, there were no significant between-group differences for measured parameters. Conclusion: Wearing a flexible knee orthosis and/or Kinesio tape for 4 weeks significantly improved knee pain, physical function, and quadriceps strength. Although knee orthosis showed significant beneficial effects on various components of proprioception, there were no significant differences between the two groups at the end of the 4-week intervention.

Pain-induced Impact on Movement: Motor Coordination Variability and Accuracy-based Skill.

Introduction: Studies on pain are generally conducted for two purposes: first, to study patients with pain who have physical changes due to nerve and muscle lesions, and second, to regain the appropriate kinematic post-pain pattern. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of pain on the coordination variability pattern and throwing accuracy. Methods: The study participants included 30 people aged 18-25 years who volunteered to participate in the study. Participants practiced and acquired skills in 10 blocks of 15 trials. In the test phase associated with pain, Individuals were randomly divided into three groups: local pain, remote pain, and control. In their respective groups, participants were tested in a 15-block trial, 24 hours, and 1 week after acquisition. Results: The results revealed that pain did not affect the throwing accuracy (P=0.456). Besides, in the phase of acceleration in throwing, movement variability in the pain-related groups in the shoulder and elbow joints (P=0.518), elbow and wrist (P=0.399), and the deceleration and dart drop phase movement variability in the pain-related groups in the shoulder and elbow joints (P=0.622), elbow and wrist (P=0.534). Conclusion: Based on the results, the accuracy and coordination variability in pain-related groups were similar. However, to confirm these results, more research is needed on performing motor functions in the presence of pain. Highlights: Pain are generally conducted for two purposes.pain which has physical changes due to nerve and muscle lesions and pain to regain the appropriate kinematic post-pain pattern.People who experience pain show poor motor results.Pain restriction is ordinary in joints and the body compensates by increasing movement. Plain Language Summary: One of the constant concerns of sports science experts is to find ways to improve performance or to know the factors that strengthen or weaken motor learning. After injury, pain has been described as one of the passive symptoms, and the mechanism of how overexertion of joints and muscles increases injury and pain is unknown. Following any injury, pain is one of the most important causes of disability and one of the most important problems in people's general health. Many treated individuals present with pain and impaired movement, and typically changes in movement control are a result of the pain. Research evidence suggests that pain induces changes in cortical excitability and the neuroplasticity model that accompanies practice of a new motor task interferes with the performance improvement that must occur simultaneously. According to the new approaches of motor and biomechanical learning and control, movement variability, especially in movement coordination, is considered as an important and influential factor of a person with different conditions. Novice athletes show high non-functional variability in order to reduce the degrees of freedom and then simplify their motor task, in contrast to skilled people, they display functional variability that allows them to perform a motor task better. in variable conditions. Scientists and researchers have concluded that in the presence of pain, there are changes in the pattern requirements and muscle coordination. Clearly, variability is a main feature of most neurological and musculoskeletal pains, and it is necessary for therapists to diagnose and classify incomplete movements and to effectively manage symptoms by controlling incomplete movements, so conducting such research in this field in order to show muscle and movement changes It is necessary under the influence of pain.

Submaximal fatiguing contractions reduce stability of voluntary postural control more than maximal fatiguing contractions.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that different exercise intensities for the ankle muscles can impair postural stability. However, it remains unclear whether it is low-intensity exercises (which primarily induce central fatigue) or high-intensity exercises (which primarily induce peripheral fatigue) that have a greater effect on voluntary postural control. RESEARCH QUESTION: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of fatiguing exercises that induce either central or peripheral fatigue on voluntary postural stability. METHODS: Following isometric maximum voluntary contraction (IMVC) tests, 12 volunteers randomly performed submaximal (40% IMVC) and maximal (100% IMVC) fatiguing contractions of the plantar flexors on a dynamometer. Before and after the fatiguing protocols, postural stability was assessed by measuring the centre of pressure trajectory during voluntary sways on a force plate. The electromyography activity of the right gastrocnemius medialis was recorded. To assess central and peripheral fatigue, electrical stimulations were applied both during and after the IMVC. The effects of the fatiguing protocols and the differences between the protocols were tested with a two-way repeated measures ANOVA test (fatigue × time). RESULTS: Submaximal contractions induced a greater increase of sway area and medial-lateral sway cycle range than maximal contractions (P < 0.01). Voluntary activation decreased significantly more after submaximal contractions than maximal contractions (P < 0.01). Submaximal contractions induced a significantly greater reduction of IMVC than maximal contractions (P < 0.01). Resting twitch size was smaller after maximal contractions than submaximal contractions (P = 0.04). SIGNIFICANCE: The outcome of this study suggests that training programmes for patients with balance issues should be based on training with maximal rather than submaximal load, to avoid deficits that might compromise postural stability.

Using the locus of slack logic to determine whether the output form of inhibition of return affects an early or late stage of processing.

Slower reaction times to targets presented at a previously cued or attended location are often attributed to inhibition of return (IOR). It has been suggested that IOR affects a process at the output end of processing continuum when it is generated while the oculomotor system is activated. Following the path set by Kavyani, Farsi, Abdoli, and Klein (2017) we used the locus of slack logic embedded in the psychological refractory period (PRP) paradigm to test this idea. We generated what we expected would be the output form of IOR by beginning each with participants making a target directed saccade which was followed by two tasks. Task 1, was a 2-choice auditory discrimination task and Task 2 was a 2-choice visual localization task. We varied the interval between the onsets of the two targets associated with these two tasks (using TTOAs of 200, 400, or 800 msec). As expected the visual task suffered from a robust PRP effect (substantially delayed RTs at the shorter TTOAs). There was also a robust IOR effect with RTs to localize visual targets being slower when the targets were presented at a previously fixated location. Importantly, and in striking to our previous results wherein we generated the input form of IOR, in the present study there was an additive effect between IOR and TTOA on RT2. As implied by the locus of slack logic, we therefore conclude that the form of IOR generated when the oculomotor system is activated affects a late stage of processing. Converging evidence for this conclusion, from a variety of neuroscientific methods, is presented and the dearth of such evidence about the input form of IOR is noted.

Using the locus-of-slack logic to determine whether inhibition of return in a cue-target paradigm is delaying early or late stages of processing.

Inhibition of return (IOR) is a phenomenon characterized by slower responses to targets at cued locations relative to those at uncued locations. Based on the results of previous research, it has been suggested that IOR affects a process at the input end of the processing continuum when it is generated while the reflexive oculomotor system is suppressed (cf. Satel, Hilchey, Wang, Story, & Klein, 2013). To test this theory, we employed a modified psychological refractory period paradigm designed to elicit input IOR with visual stimuli, allowing us to use the locus-of-slack logic to determine whether an early or late stage of processing was inhibited by IOR. On each trial a visual cue was presented, followed by an auditory target (T1) and visual target (T2) separated by a target-target onset asynchrony (TTOA) of varying lengths (200 ms, 400 ms, or 800 ms). Participants (31 young adults) were instructed to ignore the cue and respond to the targets as quickly and accurately as possible. Eye tracking was used to ensure that participants actively suppressed eye movements during trials. As predicted, the inhibitory effect of the cue was observed at the longest TTOA but not when TTOAs were short, supporting our hypothesis that, when generated while the reflexive oculomotor system is suppressed, IOR affects processing before response selection. (PsycINFO Database Record