Playing under pressure: EEG monitoring of activation in professional tennis players

Lavender Essential Oil Inhalation Improves Attentional Shifting and Accuracy: Evidence from Dynamic Changes of Cognitive Flexibility and Power Spectral Density of Electroencephalogram Signals

Background

Cognitive flexibility, a vital component of executive function, entails the utilization of extended brain networks. Olfactory stimulation has been shown to influence various brain functions, particularly cognitive performance.

Method

To investigate aroma inhalation's effects on brain activity dynamics associated with cognitive flexibility, 20 healthy adults were recruited to complete a set-shifting task during two experimental conditions: no aroma stimuli vs. lavender essential oil inhalation. Using Thomson's multitaper approach, the normalized power spectral density (NPSD) was assessed for five frequency bands.

Results

Findings confirm that aroma inhalation significantly affects behavioral indices (i.e., reaction time (RT) and response accuracy) and electroencephalogram (EEG) signatures, especially in the frontal lobe. Participants showed a tremendous increase in theta and alpha NPSD, associated with relaxation, along with beta NPSD, associated with clear and fast thinking after inhaling the aroma. NPSD of the delta band, an indicator of the unconscious mind, significantly decreased when stimulated with lavender essential oil. Further, participants exhibited shorter RT and more accurate responses following aroma inhalation.

Conclusion

Our findings revealed significant changes in oscillatory power and behavioral performance after aroma inhalation, providing neural evidence that olfactory stimulation with lavender essential oil may facilitate cognitive flexibility.

Gender and Age Influence in Pre-Competitive and Post-Competitive Anxiety in Young Tennis Players

To study the influence of age and gender on pre-competitive and post-competitive anxiety and self-confidence in young tennis players. A total of 42 U’12 to U’18 category tennis players, 12 females and 30 males, participated in this cross-sectional study. The players had a mean age of 13.74 (2.07) years old and a national competitive experience of 4.00 (2.14) years. The pre-competitive anxiety of the participants was assessed using the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2R (CSAI-2R) and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-E) before and after an official tournament’s match. Results showed that younger players showed lower trait anxiety (r = 0.333; p < 0.05), lower pre-match state anxiety (r = 0.501; p < 0.01) and lower pre-match somatic anxiety (r = 0.313; p < 0.05). Furthermore, girls exhibited higher values of state anxiety (r = 0.445; p < 0.01) and somatic anxiety (r = 0.440; p < 0.01) than boys before the match. However, differences were not observed in the trait anxiety measured by STAI-E (r = 0.203; p = 0.213), cognitive anxiety (r = 0.140; p = 0.363), and self-confidence measured by the CSAI questionnaire (r = 0.150; p = 0.333), before the match. Therefore, coaches and sport psychologists should implement adequate on- and off-court individualized interventions to manage anxiety, specifically in girls and players over 14 years old. Although anxiety levels were similar to those before the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the influence of the pandemic on mental health, results might be taken with caution.