Journal of Motor Control and Learning
Volume:5 Issue: 2, Spring 2023

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has recently drawn attention as an inexpensive, painless, safe, and effective technique to improve motor performance and cognitive function in older adults. This study examined the effects of a selected balance exercise combined with anodal tDCS on balance performance in older adults. 

 Twenty-four healthy older adults (Mean age±SD= 69.79±5.50 years) participated in this study. The participants were randomly assigned into a real tDCS or sham tDCS groups. The participants in the real tDCS group received 2 mA anodal tDCS over the left primary motor cortex (M1) for 20 min while in the sham group they received a sham tDCS for the same duration. The participants performed a selected balance exercise program for 50 min following tDCS. Training was conducted 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks (16 sessions). Berg balance scale (BBS), timed up and go test (TUG) and working memory test (2-back task) were measured before (baseline), after 8 weeks of the training, and 4 weeks of follow-up. 

 Compared to sham tDCS group, BBS and TUG were significantly improved in real tDCS group after the training and 4 weeks of follow-up, however, this intervention could not affect working memory.

 Conclousion:

 In summary, these results indicate that the selected balance exercise program combined with anodal tDCS can improve balance performance but not working memory in older adults.

This study compared the effect of training programs with and without virtual reality (VR) on the motor and cognitive performance of women with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

It was a Quasi-experimental study with two experimental groups (17 participants in each group) and a control group (15 participants). Participants have Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and were 20 to 40 years old, and living in Amol City. There were three groups: the experimental group exercised with VR (T+VR), the experimental group exercised without VR (T), and the control group didn't have any exercise intervention. The exercise intervention was carried out for eight weeks (twice a week) including five stages: warming up the body, walking on a treadmill, resting, soccer goalkeeping, and cooling down. The tools used for pre-test and post-test measurement were: Expanded Disability Status Scale Borg Rating of the Perceived Exertion, timed 25-Foot Walk Test, Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go Test, Fatigue Severity Scale, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale Questionnaire, Mini-Mental State Examination test, Tower of London test. Analysis of covariance and Bonferroni pairwise comparison was used for data analysis.

The results showed that the eight-week exercise program with and without VR effectively increased static and dynamic balance and improved the mental state of women with MS (P<0.05), But no significant difference was observed between the two groups in comparison to the control group. Also, the training program with and without VR affected improving walking speed, reducing the intensity of fatigue, stress, anxiety, and depression, and increasing the problem-solving ability of women with multiple sclerosis (P<0.05). This effectiveness in the T+VR group was more than in the T group.

Conclousion: 

Performing sports training with and without VR has a significant effect on the motor and cognitive performance of women with multiple sclerosis, but training with VR can be a motivating and effective alternative for the motor and cognitive rehabilitation of women with multiple sclerosis.

The issue of obesity in childhood will be associated with deficits in rudimentary, basic, and specialized skills, as well as a drop in physical literacy. This problem can be the beginning of delay in other motor skills in later ages, so that it strengthens the negative cycle of obesity-inactivity-poor motor development, which reciprocally causes obesity to decrease in motor development and decrease in motor development causes obesity. Regardless of the physical effects, obesity and poor motor development cause the decline of psychological functions of obese children such as self-confidence and self-esteem. The issue that is the basis of the trainers' action for the diagnosis of obesity is the the body mass index, which cannot seem logical due to the importance of body composition. Therefore, it is essential that teachers and trainers do not have classifications based on the child's weight and body mass index calculation, because the state of muscles, body water and fat percentage are important in calculating this overall weight value. In response to the main question why the body mass index as an accepted measure of obesity cannot predict the motor development of obese children, it can be stated that absolute body weight index is a combination of muscles, fat percentage, body water and skeletal system. For instance, a child who has a body mass index between 20 and 25 has a good physical condition according to diagnostic criteria, but there are cases where the same body mass index can be misleading and the child is obese. For example, a child has sarcopenic obesity and has lost part of his muscles and replaced it with fat, so when we want to check the condition of children's obesity, the best ideal is to check their body composition in order to have a more accurate measure for predicting the motor development process of children.

Previous research has emphasized the negative impact of early maternal deprivation on learning and memory. On the other hand, the role of training on cognition has been examined. However, whether neonates are given exercise at the same time as being deprived of their mothers is a novelty of this research. We also considered the study of underlying mechanisms, such as the study of changes in BDNF levels. So, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of swimming training on spatial learning, memory and motor function in male rats under early deprivation.

Twenty-eight rats divided into four groups: Early maternal deprivation (EMD), Swimming Training (ST), EMD+ST group, and Control (CON) groups. The rats were exposed to deprivation for 10 days, three days a week for 30 minutes. The rats were at 33 postnatal days and their spatial learning and memory were assessed using the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test. Rats' motor function was assessed by the Open-Field (OF) test. Finally, after the extraction of the hippocampus, BDNF protein was measured by ELISA.

The results of this study revealed that male rats exposed to EMD had learning and spatial memory impairments, lower hippocampal BDNF protein levels. In addition, swimming alone has a positive impact on the BDNF protein level and motor function.

Despite these findings, due to the high intensity of stress, swimming could not modify the irreparable effects of deprivation.

Until now, many researches have shown the effect of quiet eye (QE) training on motor behaviors have been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of QE training on gaze behavior and performance improvement in volleyball service.

Eighteen male students of the University of Tehran with an age mean of 22±2 participated in this study and were randomly divided into two groups of QE and traditional training. This research was conducted in three stages: pre-test, post-test and retention test. At the beginning, a professional volleyball player was asked to perform a number of volleyball services, and the gaze points and their duration were obtained using eye-tracking glasses. In addition, he was filmed from a side view using a camera. In the next stage, at the pre-test, participants in both groups were told to send 10 simple services. At the same time, their gaze points were recorded using eye-tracking glasses. We also used the Russell Long service test (RLST) to evaluate the accuracy of the services. In the acquisition phase, in three sessions, the traditional training group practiced only the service, but the QE training group practiced QE training. In the post-test, their gaze points were recorded again using eye-tracking glasses, and the accuracy of their services was evaluated by RLST. 24 hours later, the same procedure was performed for the retention test.

The results showed that QE training group to traditional training increased the duration of the fixation and improved performance in volleyball service at the retention.

The results showed that QE training has a positive effect on improving the performance and duration of stabilization period of beginner players and improve their performance in volleyball serve.

The purpose of this research was the effect of mental and physical training during the training period on the metacognitive beliefs and sports performance of elite karate athletes.

The statistical population of all the elite karate practitioners of Mashhad was between 17 and 20 years old, and 30 karate practitioners were randomly replaced in two groups of 15 people, physical-psychological training and control. The current research was of semi-experimental type and pre-test-post-test research design with control and experimental groups. In order to collect data, sports performance questionnaires and metacognitive beliefs (McQ_30) were used. After filling the questionnaires in the pre-test, the exercise program was implemented for 14 sessions of 90 minutes (every other day) for each group. During this period, the physical training group (control) only did physical training and did not receive any mental training. After the training sessions, the questionnaires were completed again. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) method was used to test the hypotheses.

The findings showed; Mental and physical exercises have a positive effect on the metacognitive beliefs and sports performance of elite karate athletes and have improved the cognitive beliefs and sports performance of the athletes.

The conclusion is that the use of technical staff who are proficient in the field of sports psychology and training systems in all stages of an athlete's life can. In addition to the health of a sports community, it should lead the youth towards public sports and eventually become a champion athlete with a strong physical and psychological approach.