Electrophysiological differences in inhibitory control processing between collegiate level soccer players and non-athletes in the absence of performance differences

•Behavioral measures alone may not fully elucidate the effects of sports expertise.•N2 and frontal midline theta distinguish soccer players from non-athletes.•Neural sensitivity to subtle yet significant information is enhanced in soccer players.•Electrophysiological disparities in soccer players ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain and cognition 2024-08, Vol.178, p.106179, Article 106179
Main Authors: Yao, Zai-Fu, Fu, Hao-Lun, Liang, Chien-Wei, Li, Yu-Jui, Wang, Chun-Hao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Athletes
Athletic Performance - physiology
Behavioral fluctuation
Brain - physiology
Conflict processing
Electroencephalography - methods
Evoked Potentials - physiology
Executive Function - physiology
Humans
Inhibition, Psychological
Male
Neural oscillations
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Reaction Time - physiology
Soccer - physiology
Young Adult
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Summary:•Behavioral measures alone may not fully elucidate the effects of sports expertise.•N2 and frontal midline theta distinguish soccer players from non-athletes.•Neural sensitivity to subtle yet significant information is enhanced in soccer players.•Electrophysiological disparities in soccer players make optimal decisions in gameplay. Inhibitory control, the ability to manage conflicting responses and suppress inappropriate actions, is crucial for team sports athletes, including soccer players. While previous studies have shown that soccer players possess superior inhibitory control, the underlying mechanisms responsible for this advantage remain unclear. Thus, this research aimed to investigate the neural processes involved in conflict resolution and response inhibition, comparing collegiate level soccer players with non-athletes. Participants completed a novel go/no-go task that involved conflict resolution and response inhibition, while their electroencephalograms were recorded. Despite no significant difference in behavioral performance between the two groups, soccer players exhibited notable N2 and frontal midline theta modulations in response to conflict resolution and inhibition, which were comparatively weaker in non-athletes. Our findings suggest that expertise in team sports may enhance neural sensitivity to subtle yet significant information, even without a discernible behavioral advantage.
ISSN:0278-2626
1090-2147
1090-2147
DOI:10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106179