Applied Sciences

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A psychophysiological perspective offers many opportunities for the advancement of sport theory and practice. This Special Issue aims to bring together a number of papers describing studies that have utilized innovative approaches relying on cutting-edge technology in psychophysiology and neuroscience, to help us to better understand the psychology of human performance, offer new possibilities for performance-enhancing interventions, and suggest new and hopefully efficacious approaches for enhanced sport performance.

The analysis of the psychophysiological response allows a precise and objective evaluation of the adaptation of the organism to the sports and/or motor context. In this sense, it is perceived from an enrichment perspective in the cognitive, emotional, or behavioral evaluation that occurs, resulting as a complementary dimension of great help in the interpretation of motor behavior.

All researchers who use the measurement of psychophysiological components are invited to send us their research in a way that allows progress in this exciting field of study and research.

Prof. Dr. Ricardo De La Vega Marcos
Dr. Víctor Cuadrado-Peñafiel
Dr. Pedro Jiménez-Reyes
Dr. Juan Gonzalez Hernandez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

psychophysiology
sport
performance
stress

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

21 pages, 1533 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Multiple-Choice Maze-like Spatial Navigation Task for Humans Implemented in a Real-Space, Multipurpose Circular Arena

by Pablo Muela, Elisa Cintado, Patricia Tezanos, Benjamín Fernández-García, Cristina Tomás-Zapico, Eduardo Iglesias-Gutiérrez, Angel Enrique Díaz Martínez, Ray G. Butler, Victor Cuadrado-Peñafiel, Ricardo De la Vega, Vanesa Soto-León, Antonio Oliviero, Laura López-Mascaraque and José Luis Trejo

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9707; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199707 - 27 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1682

Abstract

Spatial navigation is a key aspect of human behavior and it is still not completely understood. A number of experimental approaches exist, although most of the published data in the last decades have relied on virtual maze on-screen simulation or not-completely freely moving 3D devices. Some interesting recent developments, such as circular mazes, have contributed to analyze critical aspects of freely moving human spatial navigation in real space, although dedicated protocols only allow for simple approaches. Here, we have developed both specifically designed and home-assembled hardware equipment, and a customized protocol for spatial navigation evaluation in freely moving humans in a real space circular arena. The spatial navigation protocol poses an imitation of a real-space multiple-choice path maze with cul-de-sac and instances of non-linear movement. We have compared the results of this system to those of a number of validated, both virtual and real, spatial navigation tests in a group of participants. The system composed by hardware, the test protocol, and dedicated measure analysis designed in our laboratory allows us to evaluate human spatial navigation in a complex maze with a small and portable structure, yielding a highly flexible, adaptable, and versatile access to information about the subjects’ spatial navigation abilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Psychophysiological Methods in Sport Science Research)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

13 pages, 879 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Systematic Review of the Effects of Football Playing on Changes in Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Level

by Randall Gutiérrez-Vargas, Alexis Ugalde-Ramírez, Markel Rico-González, José Pino-Ortega, Juan González-Hernández and Daniel Rojas-Valverde

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(24), 11828; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112411828 - 13 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2314

Abstract

Background: Consistent evidence suggests that exercise improves cognition and decision making, with preliminary evidence suggesting that brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNFs) may mediate these effects on high-intensity interval activities, such as in football playing. We conducted a systematic review of studies on football players or football task interventions that evaluated the causality of exercise or its relationship with changes in the basal BDNF level. Methods: The search was conducted in PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane, and FECYT (Web of Sciences, CCC, DIIDW, KJD, MEDLINE, RSCI, and SCIELO) according to the guidelines for performing systematic reviews in the sport sciences field. Results: From the 44 studies initially identified, seven studies were fully reviewed, and their outcome measures were extracted and analysed. In the scientific study of football, the studies published thus far have explored the relationship of serum BDNF levels and other cognitive function factors with the genetic expression of polymorphisms, the anthropometric and fitness conditions, the acute exercise effect of the match, and the typical actions of the match such as heading. Conclusions: The heterogeneity of designs and variables evaluated in studies related to BDNF exercise or interaction and football playing does not allow us to conclusively determine that there is a relationship with the cause or effect of genetic, anthropometric, or conditional factors that derive from an increase in BDNF due to actions during the playing of football. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Psychophysiological Methods in Sport Science Research)

► Show Figures