Comparison of Cortical Circuits of Basal and Cortical Nuclei of Cognitive and Motor Athletes

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 assistance professor of sports faculty of Bu-Ali sina university

2 Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Purpose: Since all cortical and subcortical neural structures play a role in cognitive and motor functions, the present study compared the performance of cortical-basal ganglia circuits and cortical-cerebellar circuits in athletes from cognitive and motor disciplines.

Methods: The participants in the present study included 213 individuals, comprised of chess and track and field athletes, as well as non-athletes, with 71 participants in each group (age: 17.54 ± 2.25). The neurocircuit questionnaire was used in this study. The non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to examine the differences between the groups

Results: The results showed a significant difference between cortical-basal ganglia circuits (P ≥ 0.001, H = 146.14) and cortical-cerebellar circuits (P ≥ 0.001, H = 148.04) among athletes in track and field, chess, and non-athletes. Athletes (chess and track and field) performed better and achieved higher scores compared to non-athletes. In the three-group comparison, the best performance in both circuits was observed in chess athletes, track and field athletes, and non-athletes, respectively.

Conclusion: It appears that the involvement of these two neural circuits in motor processing and the motor demands of sports disciplines have contributed to the superior performance of these circuits in athletes compared to non-athletes. Furthermore, in chess, the cognitive pathways of these circuits are enhanced due to the heightened cognitive demands on motor performance

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History

  • Receive Date: 23 September 2024
  • Revise Date: 31 December 2024
  • Accept Date: 18 February 2025

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