Application of transcranial alternating current stimulation to improve eSports-related cognitive performance

Visuo-spatial attention enables selective focus on spatial locations while ignoring irrelevant stimuli which involves both endogenous and exogenous attention. Recent advancements in transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) have shown promise in modulating these attentional processes by targeting electrical oscillations in specific brain areas. Despite evidence of the online effects of tACS on the task performance of visuo-spatial attention, whether tACS can produce lasting after-effects on behavioral performance and neural activity during the visuo-spatial attention task remains unknown. This study aims to explore these after-effects on visuo-spatial attention by implementing a single-blind, sham-controlled, between-group experiment design. Twenty young and healthy participants were equally divided into two groups receiving either sham or active gamma tACS at 40 Hz targeted at the right parieto-occipital region. Each participant engaged in a version of the Posner cueing task, conducted with EEG recording before and after the tACS intervention. The results revealed that the active tACS group exhibited significant reductions in reaction time compared to the sham group. These changes were not uniform across different attention types, suggesting specific enhancements in cognitive processing. Additionally, EEG analysis showed that gamma tACS influenced various aspects of neural activity, including event-related potentials to the target, as well as the oscillatory power and long-range temporal correlations of EEG signal during the cue-target interval. The amplitude and latency of N1 and P3 components were modulated by gamma tACS. Notably, there was a decrease in alpha power and an increase in gamma power during the cue-target interval, alongside a decrease in long-range temporal correlations. These findings revealed the after-effect of gamma tACS on modulating the behavioral performance and neural activity in the visuo-spatial attention task, paving the way for future applications in cognitive enhancement and therapeutic interventions.

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Influence of Mouse Grip Type on Flicking and Tracking Tasks Performance

Sanchis-Sanchis,

Encarnación-Martínez,

Catalá-Vilaplana

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

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The First-Person Shooter is a very popular genre in electronic sports (esports), where there are different aiming techniques such as Aim Flicking and Aim Tracking. Although the mouse grip is suggested as one of the most important factors in gaming performance, there is a lack of evidence on this topic. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the performances of three types of mouse grips (palm grip, claw grip, and fingertip grip) in two different tasks (flicking and tracking tasks) by analyzing kinematic and scoring variables. Twenty-two participants performed the tasks on a computer with the same monitor and mouse, each using their preferred grip: palm grip, claw grip, and fingertip grip. The aim400kg was used to perform the tasks, and a camera system (Optitrack’s Flex 3) was used to capture the mouse movement. The results from the flicking task indicated significant differences in the minimum cursor trajectory, with higher values observed in the claw grip compared to both the palm and fingertip grips. However, no significant differences were observed in the tracking task in terms of velocity, acceleration, or hand movement. Moreover, only high correlations were observed in the flicking task between Score and Reaction Time (r = −0.911) and between Score and Total Distance (r = 0.724). In conclusion, the mouse grip does not affect the Aim Flicking or Aim Tracking task performance. This study has revealed interesting results related to performance, including correlations between the Score, Reaction Time, and Total Distance in flicking tasks.

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Application of transcranial alternating current stimulation to improve eSports-related cognitive performance

Cited by 3 publications

References 65 publications

Electric field envelope focality in superficial brain areas with linear alignment montage in temporal interference stimulation

Electric field envelope focality in superficial brain areas with linear alignment montage in temporal interference stimulation

After-effects of Parieto-occipital Gamma Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation on Behavioral Performance and Neural Activity in Visuo-spatial Attention Task

Influence of Mouse Grip Type on Flicking and Tracking Tasks Performance

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