Neural efficiency and proficiency adaptation of effective connectivity corresponding to early and advanced skill levels in athletes of racket sports

Abstract

This study explored how the neural efficiency and proficiency worked in athletes with different skill levels from the perspective of effective connectivity brain network in resting state. The deconvolved conditioned Granger causality (GC) analysis was applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of 35 elite athletes (EAs) and 42 student‐athletes (SAs) of racket sports as well as 39 normal controls (NCs), to obtain the voxel‐wised hemodynamic response function (HRF) parameters representing the functional segregation and effective connectivity representing the functional integration. The results showed decreased time‐to‐peak of HRF in the visual attention brain regions in the two athlete groups compared with NC and decreased response height in the advanced motor control brain regions in EA comparing to the nonelite groups, suggesting the neural efficiency represented by the regional HRF was different in early and advanced skill levels. GC analysis demonstrated that the GC values within the middle occipital gyrus had a linear trend from negative to positive, suggesting a stepwise “neural proficiency” of the effective connectivity from NC to SA then to EA. The GC values of the inter‐lobe circuits in EA had the trend to regress to NC levels, in agreement with the neural efficiency of these circuits in EA. Further feature selection approach suggested the important role of the cerebral‐brainstem GC circuit for discriminating EA. Our findings gave new insight into the complementary neural mechanisms in brain functional segregation and integration, which was associated with early and advanced skill levels in athletes of racket sports.

Enhanced Cognitive Inhibition in Table Tennis Athletes: Insights from Color-Word and Spatial Stroop Tasks

“…Previous resting-state comparisons between table tennis athletes and nonathletes have revealed that athletes exhibit improved structural integrity with regard to white matter fiber bundles [56] and superior brain functional connections [57]. These training-induced neural adaptations, which are indicative of efficient connectivity, have been identified in athletes who participate in racket sports, including tennis and table tennis [58]. Furthermore, a correlation between lower activation in the frontoparietal attention network and higher world rankings among table tennis players has been documented, thus reinforcing the claim that specific neural efficiencies contribute significantly to elite sports performance [59].…”

Differences in biological motion perception associated with hearing status and age of signed language exposure

“…This effect of familiarity also extends into specific categories of action experience. For example, expert athletes such as professional dancers or those engaged in ball-related sports exhibit greater accuracy in predicting, perceiving, and comprehending human movements within their respective domains of expertise (Poulton, 1957;Cross, Hamilton, & Grafton, 2006;Aglioti et al, 2008;Makris & Urgesi, 2015;Romeas & Faubert, 2015;Chang, Chen & Yen, 2018;Apšvalka, Cross & Ramsey, 2018;Wang, Ji & Zhou, 2019;Chen et al, 2020;Chen et al, 2022;Gao et al, 2022;For a review, see Smith, 2015). Moreover, emerging evidence suggests that deaf people demonstrate faster and less effortful perception of point-light displays (PLDs) than hearing non-signers, suggesting that being deaf may lead to a similar expertise effect with biological motion perception.…”

Characteristics of Resting-State Electroencephalogram Network in α-Band of Table Tennis Athletes

“…Previous studies solely relied on functional connectivity and effective connectivity to analyze the connection relationships between local brain regions. However, delving into the topological properties of the whole brain network has provided a deeper understanding of this connectivity [ 33 , 34 , 35 ]. The examination of whole-brain topological properties unveils the overall structure and characteristics of the brain network, along with the connection patterns and topological features among diverse brain regions.…”

“…Therefore, with advancements in human brain connectomics, it has become evident that the human brain does not operate in isolation; rather, it exhibits close connections between different regions and operates in coordination through specific connection patterns with efficient network transmission characteristics [32]. Previous investigations into brain networks among TTAs have primarily emphasized functional connectivity and efficiency connectivity [33,34]. For instance, Li et al (2023) [33] observed reduced static functional connectivity in the right middle temporal gyrus and left inferior parietal gyrus among individuals with TTAs.…”

“…Conversely, they identified increased dynamic functional connectivity originating from the left inferior temporal gyrus towards the prefrontal cortex, notably in the left middle frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus medial, and left superior frontal gyrus dorsolateral regions. In a separate investigation, Gao et al (2023) [34] examined disparities in effective brain connectivity between racket sports athletes and the control group. Granger causality values within the middle occipital gyrus exhibited a linear progression from negative to positive, indicating a gradual "neural proficiency" in effective connectivity from the control group to student athletes and ultimately to elite athletes.…”