Neural Efficiency in Expert Cognitive-Motor Performers During Affective Challenge

Skilled individuals demonstrate a spatially localized or relatively lower response in brain activity characterized as neural efficiency when performing within their domain of expertise. Elite athletes are experts in their chosen sport and thus must be not only adept in the motor domain but must be r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of motor behavior 2016-11, Vol.48 (6), p.573-588
Main Authors: Costanzo, Michelle E., VanMeter, John W., Janelle, Christopher M., Braun, Allen, Miller, Matthew W., Oldham, Jessica, Russell, Bartlett A. H., Hatfield, Bradley D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic disciplines
Adolescent
Athletes
Case-Control Studies
Cerebral Cortex - physiology
Efficiency
emotional reactivity
Emotions
Emotions - physiology
experts
fMRI
Functional Neuroimaging
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
neural efficiency
Prefrontal Cortex - physiology
Young Adult
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Summary:Skilled individuals demonstrate a spatially localized or relatively lower response in brain activity characterized as neural efficiency when performing within their domain of expertise. Elite athletes are experts in their chosen sport and thus must be not only adept in the motor domain but must be resilient to performing under the stress of high-level competition. Such stability of performance suggests this population processes emotion and mental stress in an adaptive and efficient manner. This study sought to determine if athletes with a history of successful performance under circumstances of mental stress demonstrate neural efficiency during affective challenges compared to age-matched controls. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the blood-oxygen level-dependent response was recorded during emotional challenge induced by sport-specific and general unpleasant images. The athletes demonstrated neural efficiency in brain regions critical to emotion regulation (prefrontal cortex) and affect (insula) independently of their domain of expertise, suggesting adaptive processing of negative events and less emotional reactivity to unpleasant stimuli.
ISSN:0022-2895
1940-1027
DOI:10.1080/00222895.2016.1161591