Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.8
2.7
Journals
Brain Sciences
Special Issues
Mind in Motion: Exploring Neuropsychophysiological Aspects of Sports Performance, Health...
share announcement

Mind in Motion: Exploring Neuropsychophysiological Aspects of Sports Performance, Health and Physical Activity

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensory and Motor Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 September 2024 | Viewed by 3587

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ricardo De La Vega Marcos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physical Education, Sport & Human Movement, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: sport; exercise; psychophysiology; performance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue delves into the fascinating intersections of the human mind, body, and athletic engagement. In an era where sports and physical activity are integral to well-being, understanding the neuropsychophysiological dimensions is of pivotal importance. Historically, pioneers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries laid the foundation by exploring the role of mental states and physiological responses in sports. As technology advanced, so did our ability to examine the brain–body relationship during physical activity. Today, with cutting-edge tools such as neuroimaging and wearable sensors, we can unravel the secrets of neuropsychophysiology in ways never before possible.

The importance of this Special Issue lies in its potential to revolutionize sports, health, and physical activity domains. Insights into the brain–body relationship during sport-related activity offer promising avenues for enhancing athletic performance, optimizing training regimens, and preventing injuries. Moreover, this knowledge has broader implications for public health by promoting an active lifestyle and mitigating sedentary behavior.

Within this Special Issue, we provide a comprehensive overview of current research in neuropsychophysiology within the context of sports and physical activity. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, we aim to propel scientific advancements, inspire innovative approaches, and influence the practice of sports science and medicine. Within this Special Issue, we cordially invite scientists, researchers, and experts to contribute their latest research and findings. We encourage you to submit your original scientific papers addressing neuropsychophysiological aspects within the context of sports, health, physical activity, and motor performance (i.e. military contexts). Your contributions will play a crucial role in expanding our knowledge and promoting significant advancements in these key fields. We await your valuable contributions.

Prof. Dr. Ricardo De La Vega Marcos
Guest Editor

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. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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

  • neuropsychophysiology
  • sports performance
  • physical activity
  • brain–body interaction
  • psychophysiological responses
  • health and well-being

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

12 pages, 786 KiB  
Article
Effects of Fast-Tempo and Binaural Beat Therapy Music during Warm-Up on Repeated Sprint Ability Test Performance among Young Soccer Players
by Songyan Wang, Cheng Liu, Lin Zhang, Cheuk-Kwan Sun and Shang-Yu Yang
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(7), 673; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14070673 - 1 Jul 2024
Viewed by 547
Abstract
This prospective crossover study aimed to investigate the effect of binaural beat therapy music on soccer player performance. Between July 2023 and December 2023, 45 athletes (31 females/14 males, mean age = 20.47 ± 0.99) wore Bluetooth earphones through which one of the [...] Read more.
This prospective crossover study aimed to investigate the effect of binaural beat therapy music on soccer player performance. Between July 2023 and December 2023, 45 athletes (31 females/14 males, mean age = 20.47 ± 0.99) wore Bluetooth earphones through which one of the following was given during initial 20 min warm-up exercises before undergoing repeated sprint ability tests: no music/fast-tempo music/fast-tempo music with background binaural beat therapy music. Heart rate change after warm-up exercises/repeated sprint ability (RSA) tests and the time to finish RSA tests were recorded. Despite no significant difference in heart rate increase after warm-up between the two genders regardless of intervention, larger increases after RSA tests were found in males following any of the three interventions (all p < 0.01) with the most notable difference observed after fast-tempo music (p < 0.0001). A significant effect size (r = 0.2) correlated with fast-tempo music during warm-up in either gender. Binaural beat therapy music during warm-up reached a significant effect size only when all participants were considered, suggesting limited benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mind in Motion: Exploring Neuropsychophysiological Aspects of Sports Performance, Health and Physical Activity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1568 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Kinematic Information on Action Anticipation and the Related Neurophysiological Associations in Volleyball Experts
by Xizhe Li, Danlei Wang, Siyu Gao and Chenglin Zhou
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(7), 647; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14070647 - 27 Jun 2024
Viewed by 464
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the cognitive mechanisms underlying action anticipation in volleyball players, especially concerned with the differences between experts and amateurs. Participants included both expert (male, N = 26) and amateur (male, N = 23) volleyball players, who were asked to [...] Read more.
In this study, we investigated the cognitive mechanisms underlying action anticipation in volleyball players, especially concerned with the differences between experts and amateurs. Participants included both expert (male, N = 26) and amateur (male, N = 23) volleyball players, who were asked to predict spiking movements containing high, medium, and low levels of kinematic information while their electrophysiological activities were recorded. The high-information stimuli included the whole spiking action, the medium-information stimuli ended at 120 ms, and the low-information stimuli ended at 160 ms before hand–ball contact. The results showed that experts significantly outperformed amateurs in both prediction accuracy (68% in experts vs. 55% in amateurs) and reaction time (475.09 ms in experts vs. 725.81 ms in amateurs) under the medium-information condition. Analysis of alpha rhythm activity revealed that experts exhibited the strongest desynchronization under the low-information condition, suggesting increased attentional engagement. In contrast, amateurs showed the weakest desynchronization under the medium-information condition. Furthermore, mu rhythm activity analysis showed greater desynchronization in the duration of 100–300 ms before hand–ball contact for experts, correlating with their higher anticipation accuracy. These findings highlight the significant kinematic information-processing abilities of volleyball experts and elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying efficient attentional engagement and mirroring. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights for the development of targeted training programs through which to enhance athletic performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mind in Motion: Exploring Neuropsychophysiological Aspects of Sports Performance, Health and Physical Activity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 1174 KiB  
Article
Identifying the Qualities of Attention and the Attentional Style in Indoor Team Sports: A Gender Comparison
by Adela Badau
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(7), 623; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14070623 - 21 Jun 2024
Viewed by 511
Abstract
Attention is an essential psychological component in sports games, which conditions sports success. The purpose of this study was to identify the attention style (internal or external) and the weight of attention qualities depending on the practiced team sport (basketball, volleyball, or handball) [...] Read more.
Attention is an essential psychological component in sports games, which conditions sports success. The purpose of this study was to identify the attention style (internal or external) and the weight of attention qualities depending on the practiced team sport (basketball, volleyball, or handball) and gender (female or male), in athletes aged 15–18. A total of 177 active athletes (87 female (mean age ± standard deviation: 16.07 ± 0.94 years) and 90 male (mean age ± standard deviation: 15.96 ± 0.82 years)) were involved in the study, including 62 handball players (28 female and 34 male), 58 volleyball players (30 female and 28 male) and 57 basketball players (29 female and 28 male). In the study, two questionnaires were applied: one implemented to identify the attentive style with the two dimensions internal and external (standardized), called questionnaire for the assessment of attentional style in athletes (QASA), and one designed by us, called questionnaire to identify the weights of attention qualities according to the characteristics of the practiced sport (QAQCS), aiming to identify the most relevant quality of attention, depending on the practiced sport. Cronbach’s alpha for both questionnaires was between 0.701 and 0.855. The results recorded in the present study reveal a variation in the attentional style between the groups of athletes and between genders. The results of the study highlight that in handball, girls have a predominantly external style with a total of 10.213 points; in boys’ handball, the predominant focus of attention is internal with a total score of 9.087 points. Girls’ volleyball focus of attention is predominantly external, with 8.999 points; in boys’ volleyball, the attention style is internal, registering a score of 9.713 points. In girls’ basketball, the predominant focus of attention is internal, with a total score of 8.516 points; in boys’ basketball, the external attention style is predominant, with 9.213 points. Looking at the weight of attention qualities, it was found that the most relevant for girls is concentration and mobility for handball players, stability was identified in volleyball, and distributiveness in basketball. In boys’ handball teams, mobility is the most essential, just like in basketball, and in volleyball it was found that stability has the biggest impact. ANOVA analysis highlighted statistically significant differences between groups of sports games by gender category, at both subscales of (QASA), as well as QAQCS, p < 0.05. The results of our study highlight differences between the attentional styles and their qualities in relation to the gender and the specific sport played, which determines differentiated approaches to these psychological components. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mind in Motion: Exploring Neuropsychophysiological Aspects of Sports Performance, Health and Physical Activity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1787 KiB  
Article
Fast and Stable Responses during Decision Making Require Strong Inhibitory Processes in Soccer Players
by Takahiro Matsutake, Hiroki Nakata, Genta Matsuo, Takayuki Natsuhara, Kisho Zippo, Kouki Watanabe and Takayuki Sugo
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(3), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14030199 - 22 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1774
Abstract
Quick decision making is a vital factor for a successful pass in soccer games. Many previous studies of decision making in soccer focused on motor execution, but inhibitory processing has remained unclear. This study aimed to clarify the differences in motor execution and [...] Read more.
Quick decision making is a vital factor for a successful pass in soccer games. Many previous studies of decision making in soccer focused on motor execution, but inhibitory processing has remained unclear. This study aimed to clarify the differences in motor execution and inhibitory among Japanese collegiate soccer players with different skill levels. We evaluated the behavioral data and event-related potentials in the high-skilled, low-skilled, and novice groups during the Go/No-go and pass choice reaction tasks. The reaction time (RT) was significantly shorter in the high group than in the novice group, and RT variability was small in the high group. The amplitude of the N2 component was significantly larger in the high group than in the low and novice groups, and the latency of the P3 component was significantly shorter in the high and low groups than in the novice group during the pass choice reaction task. The subtracted No-go N2 amplitude was also significantly larger in the high and low groups than in the novice group, and correlations existed between the RT, RT variability, and the subtracted No-go N2 amplitude during these tasks. These data indicate that soccer players’ behavioral responses and inhibition processing decision-making activities are associated with skill levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mind in Motion: Exploring Neuropsychophysiological Aspects of Sports Performance, Health and Physical Activity)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop