Brain Reorganization and Neural Plasticity in Elite Athletes With Physical Impairments

Nakazawa, Kimitaka

doi:10.1249/jes.0000000000000288

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…This will allow us to explore the brain's adaptations resulting from skill acquisition in competitive sports training. If there are neuroplastic changes induced by prior sports training, it suggests that the use-dependent plasticity induced by training can contribute to brain function remodeling when facing issues such as disabilities requiring movement rehabilitation ( 40 ). This highlights the beneficial role of early training in promoting the reconstruction of motor function following neural injuries.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sports promote brain evolution: a resting-state fMRI study of volleyball athlete

Zhang,

Zhu,

Cai

et al. 2024

Front. Sports Act. Living

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BackgroundLong-term skill learning can lead to structure and function changes in the brain. Different sports can trigger neuroplasticity in distinct brain regions. Volleyball, as one of the most popular team sports, heavily relies on individual abilities such as perception and prediction for high-level athletes to excel. However, the specific brain mechanisms that contribute to the superior performance of volleyball athletes compared to non-athletes remain unclear.MethodWe conducted a study involving the recruitment of ten female volleyball athletes and ten regular female college students, forming the athlete and novice groups, respectively. Comprehensive behavioral assessments, including Functional Movement Screen and audio-visual reaction time tests, were administered to both groups. Additionally, resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were acquired for both groups. Subsequently, we conducted in-depth analyses, focusing on the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and functional connectivity (FC) in the brain for both the athlete and novice groups.ResultsNo significant differences were observed in the behavioral data between the two groups. However, the athlete group exhibited noteworthy enhancements in both the ALFF and ReHo within the visual cortex compared to the novice group. Moreover, the functional connectivity between the visual cortex and key brain regions, including the left primary sensory cortex, left supplementary motor cortex, right insula, left superior temporal gyrus, and left inferior parietal lobule, was notably stronger in the athlete group than in the novice group.ConclusionThis study has unveiled the remarkable impact of volleyball athletes on various brain functions related to vision, movement, and cognition. It indicates that volleyball, as a team-based competitive activity, fosters the advancement of visual, cognitive, and motor skills. These findings lend additional support to the early cultivation of sports talents and the comprehensive development of adolescents. Furthermore, they offer fresh perspectives on preventing and treating movement-related disorders. Trial registrationRegistration number: ChiCTR2400079602. Date of Registration: January 8, 2024.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sports promote brain evolution: a resting-state fMRI study of volleyball athlete

Zhang,

Zhu,

Cai

et al. 2024

Front. Sports Act. Living

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“…It was found that experts in open-skills sport performed visual tracking tasks better than novice and intermediate players ( Qiu et al, 2018 ). Specifically, the acquisition of specific skill expertise collected from training process is accompanied by players’ structural and functional reorganization of the brain ( Nakazawa, 2022 ; Gao et al, 2019 ). A study using deterministic tractography to identify streamlines connecting cortical and subcortical brain regions of elite open-skills sport athletes indicated that skill expertise allows to optimize the visuomotor processing (brain’s expressways), causing a better integration of information about externally-paced environments and motor control ( Zhu et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the ability to track multiple moving targets as a function of postural stability: a comparison between team sports players and sedentary individuals

Zwierko

Lesiakowski

Redondo

et al. 2022

PeerJ

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Background The ability to track multiple objects plays a key role in team ball sports actions. However, there is a lack of research focused on identifying multiple object tracking (MOT) performance under rapid, dynamic and ecologically valid conditions. Therefore, we aimed to assess the effects of manipulating postural stability on MOT performance. Methods Nineteen team sports players (soccer, basketball, handball) and sixteen sedentary individuals performed the MOT task under three levels of postural stability (high, medium, and low). For the MOT task, participants had to track three out of eight balls for 10 s, and the object speed was adjusted following a staircase procedure. For postural stability manipulation, participants performed three identical protocols (randomized order) of the MOT task while standing on an unstable platform, using the training module of the Biodex Balance System SD at levels 12 (high-stability), eight (medium-stability), and four (low-stability). Results We found that the ability to track moving targets is dependent on the balance stability conditions (F2,66 = 8.7, p < 0.001, η² = 0.09), with the disturbance of postural stability having a negative effect on MOT performance. Moreover, when compared to sedentary individuals, team sports players showed better MOT scores for the high-stability and the medium-stability conditions (corrected p-value = 0.008, Cohen’s d = 0.96 and corrected p-value = 0.009, Cohen’s d = 0.94; respectively) whereas no differences were observed for the more unstable conditions (low-stability) between-groups. Conclusions The ability to track moving targets is sensitive to the level of postural stability, with the disturbance of balance having a negative effect on MOT performance. Our results suggest that expertise in team sports training is transferred to non-specific sport domains, as shown by the better performance exhibited by team sports players in comparison to sedentary individuals. This study provides novel insights into the link between individual’s ability to track multiple moving objects and postural control in team sports players and sedentary individuals.

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“…Darter et al (2017) demonstrated that individuals with UTTA are capable of adaptations to locomotion comparable to non-amputees, and Rossignol et al (2006) showed that the spinal cord network could adapt to sensory feedback signals. In addition, motor reorganization occurs in neural circuits after lower limb amputation (Chen et al, 1998), and the neural activity of specially trained athletes, such as Paralympians, exhibited a reorganization that differs from that of able-bodied individuals (Nakazawa, 2022). Such physical changes and training could modify the control strategy of the lower limb.…”

Section: Acquisition Of Gait Under Unilateral Transtibial Amputation ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Acquisition of bipedal locomotion in a neuromusculoskeletal model with unilateral transtibial amputation

Ichimura

Hobara²,

Hisano³

et al. 2023

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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Adaptive locomotion is an essential behavior for animals to survive. The central pattern generator in the spinal cord is responsible for the basic rhythm of locomotion through sensory feedback coordination, resulting in energy-efficient locomotor patterns. Individuals with symmetrical body proportions exhibit an energy-efficient symmetrical gait on flat ground. In contrast, individuals with lower limb amputation, who have morphologically asymmetrical body proportions, exhibit asymmetrical gait patterns. However, it remains unclear how the nervous system adjusts the control of the lower limbs. Thus, in this study, we investigated how individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation control their left and right lower limbs during locomotion using a two-dimensional neuromusculoskeletal model. The model included a musculoskeletal model with 7 segments and 18 muscles, as well as a neural model with a central pattern generator and sensory feedback systems. Specifically, we examined whether individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation acquire prosthetic gait through a symmetric or asymmetric feedback control for the left and right lower limbs. After acquiring locomotion, the metabolic costs of transport and the symmetry of the spatiotemporal gait factors were evaluated. Regarding the metabolic costs of transportation, the symmetric control model showed values approximately twice those of the asymmetric control model, whereas both scenarios showed asymmetry of spatiotemporal gait patterns. Our results suggest that individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation can reacquire locomotion by modifying sensory feedback parameters. In particular, the model reacquired reasonable locomotion for activities of daily living by re-searching asymmetric feedback parameters for each lower limb. These results could provide insight into effective gait assessment and rehabilitation methods to reacquire locomotion in individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation.

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Brain Reorganization and Neural Plasticity in Elite Athletes With Physical Impairments

Abstract: Use-dependent and impairment-specific plasticity after physical impairments are hypothesized to interact and enhance reorganization in the brains of athletes with physical impairments.

Cited by 7 publications

References 45 publications

Sports promote brain evolution: a resting-state fMRI study of volleyball athlete

Sports promote brain evolution: a resting-state fMRI study of volleyball athlete

Examining the ability to track multiple moving targets as a function of postural stability: a comparison between team sports players and sedentary individuals

Acquisition of bipedal locomotion in a neuromusculoskeletal model with unilateral transtibial amputation

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