Brain structure in diving players on MR imaging studied with voxel-based morphometry

Athletic training in badminton players modulates the early C1 component of visual evoked potentials: A preliminary investigation

“…Wei et al (2009), for example, reported greater gray matter density of pre-central gyrus for professional divers than non-athletic controls. There are also studies on visual processing in athletes, which however did not use sports-related stimuli (Özmerdivenli et al, 2005;Delpont et al, 1991;Taddei et al, 1991;Nakata et al, 2010).…”

Altered Resting Brain Function and Structure in Professional Badminton Players

“…Additional changes in multiple cortical areas involving motor, auditory, and visual-spatial processes have been observed in keyboard musicians (Gaser and Schlaug, 2003;Han et al, 2009), which may be associated with more subtle and complex patterns of finger dexterity in music practice. GM alterations in sensorimotor and premotor regions have also been revealed in professional divers (Wei et al, 2009) and ballet dancers (Hä nggi et al, 2010), while additional parietal changes have been found in skilled golfers, which may reflect more attention and motor control supporting golf practice ( Jä ncke et al, 2009). These diverse findings from athletes and musicians suggest that brain structure changes observed in professionals may depend on the specific motor and cognitive processes involved in skill training over time.…”

Exercise-induced changes in basal ganglia volume and their relation to cognitive performance

“…For the total striatum, larger volumes were found in skilled young basketball players (20.3 ± 1.1 years) than in a control group 45 . Contradictory, in the left putamen of young professional ballet dancers (24.3 ± 5.5 years) 46 , in the putamen and the globus pallidus of middleaged highly skilled golfers (30.9 ± 6.2 years) 47 and in the left caudate nucleus of professional adolescent diving players (14.6 ± 1.7 years) 48 , smaller volumes than in control groups were found. Thus, the direction of change in the volume of the basal ganglia seems to differ between different sports, possibly attributable to different sport-specific requirements (e.g., recall of well learned, self-timed, highly automated movements versus instantaneous reaction to highly contextual, gameplay related contingencies).…”