Effect of Neuroscience-Based Exercise Training on Cortical Activation, Focus, and Performance in Professional Female Volleyball Players
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 招募中
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 24
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy
研究概览
简要总结
24 volunteer professional female volleyball players (aged 16-21), licensed in the Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) Women's Volleyball League 2 and 3, will be included in the study. Participants will be randomized into intervention (n=12) and control (n=12) groups using www.randomizer.org. The intervention group will receive an 8-week (3 days/week) neuro-athletic exercise training program, including eye warm-up exercises and volleyball-specific visual and motor coordination stations, in addition to their regular training. The control group will continue with regular training only. Both groups will have equal total training time.
Visual attention and decision-making strategies will be measured with a wearable eye-tracking system (Pupil Labs Invisible) during a serve task. Cortical activation (oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin levels) in the frontal cortex during the same serve task will be measured simultaneously with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Sport-specific physical fitness will be evaluated with the T-Agility Test, radar gun serve speed measurement, VERT wearable jump analysis system, Y-Balance Test, and sit-and-reach test.
All assessments will be conducted before training begins and after the 8-week program. The study aims to determine whether neuro-athletic exercise training improves cortical activation, visual attention, decision-making processes, and sport-specific physical fitness parameters in professional female volleyball players, compared to a control group receiving regular training only.
详细描述
Volleyball requires high-level cognitive and physical performance, including agility, decision-making, and motor coordination, often performed under time pressure. Neuro-athletic training is an emerging approach that integrates neurofeedback techniques with sport-specific exercises, targeting cognitive and motor functions through neuroplasticity-based principles. This approach aims to improve afferent and efferent neural system coordination, sensory processing, and motor control, which may translate into improved athletic performance and reduced injury risk.
This study investigates the effect of an 8-week neuro-athletic exercise training program on cortical activation, visual attention, decision-making processes, and sport-specific physical fitness in professional female volleyball players, using a randomized, controlled, parallel-group design.
A total of 24 female volleyball players, licensed in the Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) Women's Volleyball League 2 and League 3, aged 16-21 years, will be randomly allocated into an intervention group (n=12) and a control group (n=12) using www.randomizer.org. Sample size was determined using G*Power software (independent samples t-test, between-group comparison) with 95% power, 0.05 type-1 error, and a high effect size (f=0.75), with a 20% margin added to account for potential dropout.
The intervention group will receive a structured neuro-athletic exercise training program, 3 days per week for 8 weeks, added to their regular volleyball training as a warm-up component. The program includes eye warm-up exercises (eye massage, palming) and volleyball-specific visual-motor coordination stations: Saccade and Anti-Saccade stations, Smart Optometry station, Brock String, Star Chart station, and Pinhole Glasses Small Area Game. The control group will continue their regular training, warm-up, and cool-down routine without additional intervention. Total training time will be kept equal between groups to prevent differences in overall training load.
All participants will be assessed before the intervention begins and after the 8-week program. Primary assessments include:
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Basic Science
- 盲法
- None
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 16 Years 至 21 Years（Child, Adult）
- 性别
- Female
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Licensed female volleyball player in the Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) Women's Volleyball League 2 or League 3
- •Aged between 16 and 21 years
- •Actively participating in the sport for at least 3 years
排除标准
- •Any history of musculoskeletal surgery
- •An injury within the last 3 months that prevented participation in training or competition
- •Any diagnosed visual impairment, visual function disorder, or vestibular system-related problem
结局指标
主要结局
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy
时间窗: Baseline and after 8 weeks
Cortical Activation During Serve Task (fNIRS), measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during a serve task, comparing pre-task, during-task, and post-task signal changes. Change in oxygenated (HbO) and deoxygenated (HbR) hemoglobin levels in the frontal cortex.
Pupil Lab Invisible Eye Tracker
时间窗: Baseline and after 8 weeks
Visual Attention and Decision-Making (Eye-Tracking Parameters). Measured using a wearable eye-tracking system (Pupil Labs Invisible) during a serve task, including total fixation duration and visual scan path parameters, automatically quantified using Pupil Player software. Measured change in gaze fixation duration and visual search patterns
次要结局
- T-Agility Test(Baseline and after 8 weeks)
- Serve Speed(Baseline and after 8 weeks)
- Vertical Jump Performance(Baseline and after 8 weeks)
- Y-Balance Test(Baseline and after 8 weeks)
- Sit-and-Reach Test(Baseline and after 8 weeks)
研究者
Özge Ecem Şenel
Research Assisstant, PT, MSc
Istinye University