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Moffat R, Casale CE, Cross ES. Mobile fNIRS for exploring inter-brain synchrony across generations and time. FRONTIERS IN NEUROERGONOMICS 2024; 4:1260738. [PMID: 38234472 PMCID: PMC10790948 DOI: 10.3389/fnrgo.2023.1260738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
While still relatively rare, longitudinal hyperscanning studies are exceptionally valuable for documenting changes in inter-brain synchrony, which may in turn underpin how behaviors develop and evolve in social settings. The generalizability and ecological validity of this experimental approach hinges on the selected imaging technique being mobile-a requirement met by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). fNIRS has most frequently been used to examine the development of inter-brain synchrony and behavior in child-parent dyads. In this position paper, we contend that dedicating attention to longitudinal and intergenerational hyperscanning stands to benefit the fields of social and cognitive neuroscience more broadly. We argue that this approach is particularly relevant for understanding the neural mechanisms underpinning intergenerational social dynamics, and potentially for benchmarking progress in psychological and social interventions, many of which are situated in intergenerational contexts. In line with our position, we highlight areas of intergenerational research that stand to be enhanced by longitudinal hyperscanning with mobile devices, describe challenges that may arise from measuring across generations in the real world, and offer potential solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryssa Moffat
- Social Brain Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Courtney E. Casale
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Carius D, Herold F, Clauß M, Kaminski E, Wagemann F, Sterl C, Ragert P. Increased Cortical Activity in Novices Compared to Experts During Table Tennis: A Whole-Brain fNIRS Study Using Threshold-Free Cluster Enhancement Analysis. Brain Topogr 2023:10.1007/s10548-023-00963-y. [PMID: 37119404 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-00963-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
There is a growing interest to understand the neural underpinnings of high-level sports performance including expertise-related differences in sport-specific skills. Here, we aimed to investigate whether expertise level and task complexity modulate the cortical hemodynamics of table tennis players. 35 right-handed table tennis players (17 experts/18 novices) were recruited and performed two table tennis strokes (forehand and backhand) and a randomized combination of them. Cortical hemodynamics, as a proxy for cortical activity, were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and the behavioral performance (i.e., target accuracy) was assessed via video recordings. Expertise- and task-related differences in cortical hemodynamics were analyzed using nonparametric threshold-free cluster enhancement. In all conditions, table tennis experts showed a higher target accuracy than novices. Furthermore, we observed expertise-related differences in widespread clusters compromising brain areas being associated with sensorimotor and multisensory integration. Novices exhibited, in general, higher activation in those areas as compared to experts. We also identified task-related differences in cortical activity including frontal, sensorimotor, and multisensory brain areas. The present findings provide empirical support for the neural efficiency hypothesis since table tennis experts as compared to novices utilized a lower amount of cortical resources to achieve superior behavioral performance. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the task complexity of different table tennis strokes is mirrored in distinct cortical activation patterns. Whether the latter findings can be useful to monitor or tailor sport-specific training interventions necessitates further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Carius
- Department of Movement Neuroscience, Faculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, 04109, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Fabian Herold
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Potsdam, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Martina Clauß
- Department of Movement Neuroscience, Faculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, 04109, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kaminski
- Department of Movement Neuroscience, Faculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, 04109, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Florian Wagemann
- Department of Movement Neuroscience, Faculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, 04109, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Clemens Sterl
- Department of Movement Neuroscience, Faculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, 04109, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Patrick Ragert
- Department of Movement Neuroscience, Faculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, 04109, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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