Neuroplus biofeedback improves attention, resilience, and injury prevention in elite soccer players

Effects of Ten Biofeedback Sessions on Athletes' Physiological, Psychological, and Cognitive Functioning: A Randomized Controlled Trial with International Tennis Players

Our aim in this study was to test the effect of 10 sessions of biofeedback (BFB) on physiological, psychological, and cognitive functioning of international tennis players. In this randomized controlled trial, we recruited 16 international tennis players (11 male, 5 female; Mage = 17.31, SD = 0.87 years), who were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (IG; n = 8) or a control group (CG; n = 8). Those in the IG received 10 multimodal BFB sessions over four weeks, while those in the CG received no intervention. We assessed physiological, psychological, and cognitive parameters before and after the intervention and found a positive effect for skin temperature, state anxiety, and cognitive performance in the IG versus the CG. We provide preliminary data that 10 sessions of multimodal BFB improved cognitive functions and reduced anxiety symptoms in international tennis players. Future investigators should consider increasing sample size, incorporating an active CG, and studying these effects across diverse athletic disciplines.

The Effect of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback on Basketball Performance Tests

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of 10-week heart rate variability biofeedback training on basketball skills, free throws, and heart rate variability parameters. Twenty-four basketball players (experimental, n = 12 and control, n = 12) aged 18-24 years volunteered to participate in this study. The experimental group participated in a 10-week heart rate variability biofeedback and basketball training program, while the control group only participated in the 10-week basketball training session. Basketball free-throw performance, basketball skills, and heart rate variability tests were conducted on the experimental and control groups before and after the 10-week intervention. Consequently, we discovered that basketball free-throw performance, breathing frequency, and heart rate variability parameters, which reflect vagal modulation of parasympathetic activity, improved in participants who underwent the 10-week heart rate variability biofeedback and basketball training, and not in those who took basketball training only. Our findings propose that heart rate variability biofeedback, alongside basketball workouts, can contribute to better basketball free-throw performance potentially through improved autonomic nervous system functioning.

Data Analysis of Psychological Approaches to Soccer Research: Using LDA Topic Modeling

This study identifies the topical areas of research that have attempted a psychological approach to soccer research over the last 33 years (1990-2022) and explored the growth and stagnation of the topic as well as research contributions to soccer development. Data were obtained from 1863 papers from the Web of Science database. The data were collected through keyword text mining and data preprocessing to determine the keywords needed for analysis. Based on the keywords, latent Dirichlet allocation-based topic modeling analysis was performed to analyze the topic distribution of papers and explore research trends by topic area. The topic modeling process included four topic area and fifty topics. The "Coaching Essentials in Football" topic area had the highest frequency, but it was not statistically identified as a trend. However, coaching, including training, is expected to continue to be an important research topic, as it is a key requirement for success in the highly competitive elite football world. Interest in the research field of "Psychological Skills for Performance Development" has waned in recent years. This may be due to the predominance of other subject areas rather than a lack of interest. Various high-tech interventions and problem-solving attempts are being made in this field, providing opportunities for qualitative and quantitative expansion. "Motivation, cognition, and emotion" is a largely underrated subject area in soccer psychology. This could be because survey-based psychological evaluation attempts have decreased as the importance of rapid field application has been emphasized in recent soccer-related studies. However, measuring psychological factors contributes to the study of football psychology through a new methodology and theoretical background. Recognizing the important role of psychological factors in player performance and mental management, as well as presenting new research directions and approaches that can be directly applied to the field, will advance soccer psychology research.

Methods for Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRVB): A Systematic Review and Guidelines

Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRVB) has been widely used to improve cardiovascular health and well-being. HRVB is based on breathing at an individual's resonance frequency, which stimulates respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and the baroreflex. There is, however, no methodological consensus on how to apply HRVB, while details about the protocol used are often not well reported. Thus, the objectives of this systematic review are to describe the different HRVB protocols and detect methodological concerns. PsycINFO, CINALH, Medline and Web of Science were searched between 2000 and April 2021. Data extraction and quality assessment were based on PRISMA guidelines. A total of 143 studies were finally included from any scientific field and any type of sample. Three protocols for HRVB were found: (i) "Optimal RF" (n = 37), each participant breathes at their previously detected RF; (ii) "Individual RF" (n = 48), each participant follows a biofeedback device that shows the optimal breathing rate based on cardiovascular data in real time, and (iii) "Preset-pace RF" (n = 51), all participants breathe at the same rate rate, usually 6 breaths/minute. In addition, we found several methodological differences for applying HRVB in terms of number of weeks, duration of breathing or combination of laboratory and home sessions. Remarkably, almost 2/3 of the studies did not report enough information to replicate the HRVB protocol in terms of breathing duration, inhalation/exhalation ratio, breathing control or body position. Methodological guidelines and a checklist are proposed to enhance the methodological quality of future HRVB studies and increase the information reported.

The Use of Neurofeedback in Sports Training: Systematic Review

Biofeedback training is a method commonly used in various fields of life, for example, in medicine, sports training or business. In recent studies, it has been shown that biofeedback, and neurofeedback, can affect the performance of professional athletes. Training based on the neurofeedback method includes exercising the brain waves. The aim of the article is to evaluate the influence of neurofeedback training on the physical fitness of professional athletes representing various sports disciplines, such as judo, volleyball and soccer. Based on 10 scientific papers from various sources, including PubMed, the latest research on neurofeedback and its impact on athletes has been reviewed. On the basis of the literature review from 2012 to 2022 on the neurofeedback method in sports training, it can be stated that this type of practice has a significant impact on physical fitness and sports performance. This review comprised 10 research studies with 491 participants in the neurofeedback groups, and 62 participants in the control group. Two reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated the quality of the studies utilising the PEDro scale. Properly planned and conducted neurofeedback training affects stimulation and improvement of many variables (reducing stress levels, increasing the ability to self-control physiological factors, enhancing behavioural efficiency and meliorating the speed of reaction to a stimulus).

A preliminary systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of heart rate variability biofeedback on heart rate variability and respiration of athletes

To date, there is no quantitative review examining the influence of heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV BFB) on the athlete population. Such an undertaking may provide valuable information on the autonomic and respiration responses of athletes when performing HRV BFB. Thus, purpose of this preliminary systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of HRV BFB on HRV and respiration of athletes. Searches of Springerlink, SportDiscus, Web of Science, PROQUEST Academic Research Library, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect were conducted for studies that met the following criteria: (1) experimental studies involving athletes that underwent randomized control trial; (2) availability of HRV BFB as a treatment compared with a control (CON)/placebo (PLA); (3) any pre and post HRV variable and/or breathing frequency as dependent variable/s; and, (4) peer-reviewed articles written in English. Four out of 660 studies involving 115 athletes (25 females and 90 males) ages 16-30 years old were assessed in this review. Preliminary findings suggest the promising ability of HRV BFB to improve respiratory mechanics in athlete population. More work is needed to determine the autonomic modulatory effect of HRV BFB in athletes.

The Influence of a Specific Cognitive-Motor Training Protocol on Planning Abilities and Visual Search in Young Soccer Players

The benefits of sport activity on cognition and especially on executive function development are well-known, and in recent years, several kinds of cognitive-motor training (CMT) have been proven effective in adults and older people. Less is known about possible CMT benefits in children. This study aims to confirm the positive influence played by CMTs on specific executive functions (planning abilities and visual search) in young soccer players. Twenty-four 10-year-old athletes were recruited and randomly assigned to the experimental (Exp) and control (Con) groups of 12 players. Both groups were trained for 10 weeks, twice a week (90 min per training), following standard soccer training (technical-tactical exercises). The Exp group, during the first training session of the week, in the last 22 min, performed the experimental treatment, which consisted of a psychokinetic CMT. Both groups were examined before and after the ten-week training using the Tower of London and WISC-IV cancellation tests. Results revealed that the Exp group, following treatment, reported significantly better scores than the Con group in all the cognitive measures. We concluded that the proposed CMT is more effective than motor training alone at improving planning abilities and visual search abilities, even in children.

Learned self-regulation in top-level managers through neurobiofeedback training improves decision making under stress

Top-level management teams are particularly exposed to stress factors as they frequently have to make important decision under stress. While an existing body of research evidence suggests that stress negatively affects decision-making processes, very little is known about possible strategies to reduce these negative effects. The aim of the current work is to investigate the effect of training self-regulation ability through neurobiofeedback on managers' intertemporal and risky decision making. Twenty-three managers were assigned to the experimental or the control condition. All participants performed, two decisional tasks, before and after a training phase. The tasks were administered through mouse tracker software, in order to measure participants' delay discounting and risk taking propensity on both explicit and implicit choice parameters. During the training phase, the experimental condition received a training protocol based on stress assessment tests via neurobiofeedback signals (i.e., temperature and skin conductance), with the goal of improving self-regulation ability while the control condition was administered a control training. The main result of this study is to have conclusively demonstrated that NBF training increases an individual's ability to self-regulate stress-related psychophysiological phenomena. Consequently, the improved ability to manage one's own reaction to stress enables a reduction in instinctive behavior during a probabilistic choice task.

Does Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Enhance Executive Functions Across the Lifespan? A Systematic Review

The scope of this systematic review was to summarize the existing literature on the effects of heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) on executive functions (EFs) across the lifespan. Specifically, it aimed to investigate the factors that may affect the efficacy of HRV-BF interventions, such as the study population, duration and intensity of the intervention, or the technical equipment. This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies that measured and presented at least one EF were included. We included controlled and uncontrolled trials involving clinical and general populations. From the initial list of 137 papers, 16 final studies were reviewed, with 777 participants. Fifty-six percent of the studies included in this review reported significant positive effects of HRV-BF intervention on at least one EF. Attention was the domain that most often benefited from the intervention. The majority of EF improvements (78%) occurred in studies that addressed patient populations or individuals that may present particular profiles: individuals exposed to stress, professional athletes, war veterans, children and adults with ADHD, and clinical older patients. The remaining studies (22%) that reported significant improvements focused on the general population. Efficacy was neither related to the duration or intensity of the intervention nor related to the technical equipment. Overall, our review shows that HRV-BF may be beneficial (a) to increase attentional skills, inhibition, and working memory and (b) when targeting more vulnerable individuals or individuals with particular profiles. However, further development of standardized, controlled protocols and consistent reporting of effect sizes may contribute to establishing the relevance of HRV-BF biofeedback interventions within the field of cognitive enhancement.

Can Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Improve Athletic Performance? A Systematic Review

This systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effect of heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV BFB) on performance of athletes. Six electronic databases (Springerlink, SportDiscus, Web of Science, PROQUEST Academic Research Library, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect) and article references were searched. Eligibility criteria were: 1. experimental studies involving athletes randomly allocated among groups (randomized control trial); 2. availability of HRV BFB as a treatment compared to a control condition (CON) that involves regular sport/dance training, a placebo (PLA) or other methods of BFB; 3. performance-related variables such as a dependent index; and, 4. peer-reviewed articles written in English. Out of 660 articles, six studies were included in the systematic review which involved 187 athletes (females: n = 89; males n = 98). Six studies compared HRV BFB with a CON, three studies compared HRV BFB with a PLA, and two studies differentiated HRV BFB with other methods of BFB. Findings support HRV BFB as a potential intervention to improve fine and gross motor function in athletes.

Effects of Daily Probiotics Supplementation on Anxiety Induced Physiological Parameters among Competitive Football Players

Competitive football players who undergo strenuous training and frequent competitions are more vulnerable to psychological disorders. Probiotics are capable of reducing these psychological disorders. The present study aimed to determine the effect of daily probiotics supplementation on anxiety induced physiological parameters among competitive football players. The randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 20 male footballers who received either probiotics (Lactobacillus Casei Shirota strain 3 × 1010 colony forming units (CFU) or a placebo drink over eight weeks. Portable biofeedback devices were used to measure the electroencephalography, heart rate, and electrodermal responses along with cognitive tests at the baseline, week 4, and week 8. Data were statistically analyzed using mixed factorial ANOVA and results revealed that there is no significant difference between the probiotic and placebo groups for heart rate (61.90 bpm ± 5.84 vs. 67.67 bpm ± 8.42, p = 0.09) and electrodermal responses (0.27 µS ± 0.19 vs. 0.41 µS ± 0.12, p = 0.07) after eight weeks. Similarly, brain waves showed no significant changes during the study period except for the theta wave and delta wave at week 4 (p < 0.05). The cognitive test reaction time (digit vigilance test) showed significant improvement in the probiotic group compared to the placebo (p < 0.05). In conclusion, these findings suggest that daily probiotics supplementation may have the potential to modulate the brain waves namely, theta (relaxation) and delta (attention) for better training, brain function, and psychological improvement to exercise. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism of current findings.

A Brief Review of the Application of Neuroergonomics in Skilled Cognition During Expert Sports Performance

The elite sports environment provides a unique setting for studying human performance, where both cognitive and physical demands are high. Successful performance in sport is contingent upon key cognitive skills such as attention, perception, working memory and decision-making. The demands of competitive sport also increase loading on the central nervous system (CNS). Neuroimaging methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) offer the potential to investigate the cognitive demands of sport, neuroplasticity of athletes, and biofeedback training. However, practical and technical limitations of these methods have generally limited their use to laboratory-based studies of athletes during simulated sporting tasks. This review article, provides a brief overview of research that has applied neuroimaging technology to study various aspects of cognitive function during sports performance in athletes, alternative methods for measuring CNS loading [e.g., direct current (DC) potential], possible solutions and avenues of focus for future neuroergonomics research in sport.