From Brain to Movement: Cognitive and Perceptual Roles in Motor Control and Sport Performance
A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1944
Special Issue Editors
Interests: neuroperformance; effort; decision making; elite sport; attention; mental fatigue; muscle fatigue; resilience
Interests: cognitive performance; decision making; mindfulness; sustained attention; cognitive process; mental health; stress; fatigue
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Movement control in sports is not merely mechanical; it is critically shaped by cognitive and perceptual factors. Athletes rely on rapid perception and effective decision-making to execute skilled actions, whether in high-pressure competition or during rehabilitation. Understanding how cognition and perception interact with motor control is essential for improving performance, reducing injury risk, and refining training methods.
This Special Issue will gather research on how cognitive and perceptual processes influence motor behavior in sports. By emphasizing applications in sports performance, skill acquisition, and motor function rehabilitation, the topic aligns with the journal’s broad sport sciences scope.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and review papers are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Cognitive factors in motor skill acquisition and performance (e.g., attention, memory, and executive function in sports);
- Perception–action coupling and sensory integration for skillful movement (visual, auditory, and proprioceptive contributions);
- Decision-making in sports (tactical choices, reaction time under pressure, and game intelligence);
- Influence of cognitive load and fatigue on motor performance and decision quality;
- Rehabilitation and training interventions targeting cognitive–motor functions (e.g., dual-task training and perceptual-cognitive drills) for athletes at all competitive levels.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Walter Staiano
Dr. Ulrich Kirk
Prof. Dr. Marco Romagnoli
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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. Sports 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 1800 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
- cognition
- perception
- decision-making
- motor control
- sports performance
- motor learning
- attention
- executive function
- sensorimotor integration
- skill acquisition
- rehabilitation
- training
- fatigue
- sports psychology
- physical activity
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